Album of Memories
by snowqueen184
Summary: HIATUS My name is Tenten. This is my life, my story, my album of memories... Tenten's POV, NejiTenten.
1. Welcome to my life

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. One day I might, you never know...

* * *

Hi. My name's Tenten. I know what you're thinking, what's my surname? Well, I don't have one, so live with it. 

I am 12 years old this year and my birthday is the 9th of March. Like most youths in Konoha, I'm a student at the ninja academy. If you ever need to find me, you can go to class 06-04. Look for a brown haired girl with 2 buns in her hair: that would be me.

I'm a tomboy, I don't associate much with the other girls, so I usually either spar with the guys in my class or talk to them about weapons. There's nothing I love more than a brand new kunai or any other weapon you care to name. My hobbies are sparring, polishing my arsenal (which can arm an entire army) and fortune telling.

Anyway, I've just taken my final exams. It's the most important exam which decides whether I get to graduate or not. Also, depending on how we do, we'll be placed into our 3-man teams. I was a bit worried about the written exams, but I had no problem with the physical exams, especially the targets. In the past, I couldn't even throw a kunai straight, but now I have impeccable aim, gained through many years of practice.

* * *

Since the exams were over, the teachers gave us several days off before the we got our results. On the last day, I was in the forest, trying to think of a method that would let me carry my entire weapons collection wherever I went. It isn't easy carrying 54 kunai, 78 shuriken, 10 fuuma shuriken, 159 senbon,4 tonfas, 20 scythes, 13 katanas, 14 maces... 

As I was thinking, in vain I might add, I heard a rustling in the bushes. I nearly threw the kunai I was holding at it. Luckily, my friend, Asuka, stepped out before I did. He invited me to spar with him and some of his other friends, which I gladly agreed since I was bored of thinking

I followed Asuka to a clearing in the forest. There were two other people there. One was Asuka's friend, Makoto and the other was Asuka's best friend, Neji. Asuka had been my friend for about two years. We were frequent sparring partners; he's like my little brother while Makoto is Asuka's friend. I'm not that close to him.

Neji is from the prestigious Hyuga clan. I've never sparred with him before, he usually prefers to train alone. We were seat mates for half a year so I guess you could consider us accquaintances. He's a pretty nice guy, once you get to know him. Very polite and quiet too, but a wonderful listener.

Asuka was looking at me with this wierd smile. I'd seen that before. It meant he was up to no good.

"Ok. Tag team spars. I get Makoto."

"What?" I nearly screamed.

"Come on. You two make a great couple, so I'm sure you'll be good partners-"

I cut him off by throwing a shuriken at the tree behind him, missing his face by a hair's width. Neji just glared.

Asuka gulped and decided to keep his mouth shut. If he hadn't...

"Fine," Neji said.

"You sure?" Truth to be told, I wanted to fight **against** him, not **with** him.

"Yeah, whatever."

So we started our spar. It ended pretty quickly.

"You nearly sliced my arm off!" Asuka complained.

"Sorry."

"Good match." Makoto held out his hand.

Neji stared at the outstretched hand for a while before taking it in his own and shaking it lightly. I guess he didn't want to bruise it further. Despite all the taijutsu he was doing, not a strand of his hair was out of place and his clothing was immaculate. Wish I could say the same for me. Usually I don't care about my appearance much, but I just didn't get why he wasn't as messed up as the rest of us were.

After I fixed my hair, which was falling out it's buns and distracting me, I walked up to Neji and asked him to fight me. He agreed.

We stood in our ready positions, waiting for someone to make the first move. I made it by throwing three kunai at him. They hit.

"Wow! You got him." Makoto shouted, clearly amazed. No way this is Neji we're talking about here.

Suddenly, "Neji" poofed and turned into a log.

"Kawarimi!" I shouted and looked around. I couldn't find him at all. Then I heard a voice in my ear.

"I'm right here." I whipped my head around and came face to face with him. Simultaneously, I drew out a kunai to strike him, but he parried with his own. I jumped back and threw the kunai at him, then blinked in surprise as he plucked it out of the air and wrapped his hand around it

Using my chakra to keep myself in mid air, I threw all the shuriken and kunai I had at him. All at different speeds and angles, praying that at least one would meet its mark. One did. A kunai grazed his arm, leaving behind a small thin cut. The rest hit logs or were deflected.

I went back down to earth and was met with a cool smile and a kunai at my neck.

"You lose."

I sighed and he holstered his kunai.

Meanwhile Asuka and Makoto were cheering for both of us.

"Haha you rock Neji!"

"Tenten wasn't too bad either. She actually managed to hit him."

"Yeah. I didn't even come close," Asuka admitted.

I laughed and thanked Neji for sparring with me. He just gave a small smile and said, "No problem."

"Tenten," Asuka whined, "why did you get him and I didn't."

"She's better than you. You just lost to a girl!" Makoto laughed.

"Well I don't recall you scoring any hits on him either!" Asuka retorted, pouting.

While the two boys bickered, I was feeling guilty for hurting him.

"Sorry about your arm. Is it ok?"

"It's fine."

"It's bleeding!" I reached into my pocket for a bandage and wrapped it around his cut. I could see him wince slightly when the bandage was lowered onto the cut, but I didn't say anything.

"There. Good as new!"

"Thanks," he said quietly.

I just smiled and went to break up the fight between Asuka and Makoto, who were now arguing over who was the bigger wuss. Even though I don't want to admit it, I think that my hit on Neji was pure luck, not skill.

* * *

The day had finally arrived. The day that would determine the rest of my life as a kunoichi. Today, I would be getting back my results, as well as my team mates. I entered the classroom, only to be ambushed by Asuka. 

"Hey, I heard no one in our class failed!" Asuka was smiling _that _smile again.

"Really? Why is that such a surprise?"

"Because Mr "I can't use ninjutsu" is in our class. I thought he would have dropped out of the Academy a long time ago. It's a wonder he even passed!"

Asuka was probably referring to Rock Lee. He's nothing special. Since he can't mold chakra, he can't use any ninjutsu or genjutsu, hence the nickname. Most of the boys like to make fun of him. I don't really know much about him actually.

"Ok, Ok..." I said, sitting down in my seat. One of the guys who was obviously not updated on the previous fact went up to Lee and said, "I thought only people who passed were supposed to be here?"

"I passed as well." he replied politely, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was hurt. If I were him, I would have embedded a kunai in the kid's head to get some airholes in his skull.

"Class settle down," Iruka-sensei said. Everyone sat at their respective places. I could practically feel the tension in the air. "First things first, report cards!" Some people groaned.

"Asuka." Asuka stood up and got his card. Judging by his face, he did ok. But for him, ok equals passed.

"Ayame."

The list went on and on until it came to Hyuga Neji. He was number one rookie, no surprises there.

"Tenten."

I nervously got up and walked to the front. I accepted the card from Iruka-sensei and went back to my seat. I didn't really want to open it, but since I'd have to get it over with eventually, I decided to just open it. I was pretty happy with my grades. I did well for the physical, I messed up a bit on the written exam though.

"Rock Lee." When his name was called, many people started whispering.

"He passed?"

"I can't believe it."

"Lowest in class I suppose."

"Quiet!" Iruka-sensei slienced the class.

When Rock Lee walked back to his seat, Iruka sensei held up a list.

"Now for the next order of business. Your teams. Team 1: Asuka, Kotarou and Kasumi."

"Aww..."Asuka moaned. I felt kind of sorry for him since he wanted to be with his friends.

"Team 2: Makoto, Kazuya and Akane." Makoto was cheering because he was with Kazuya, the second best in class.

"Makoto, these teams are arranged so that it will be balanced. There's nothing for you to be so happy about," Iruka explained, to Makoto's horror. The whispering began again.

"That means Neji is definitely with Lee."

"I pity him."

"Now which girl's going to be with them?"

"I bet it's Tenten. She's been with Neji most of the year, they're like so fated," Asuka said again. Some other people nodded in agreement. Note to self: Kill Asuka later.

While I was plotting 101 ways to kill my "friend"; Iruka-sensei had continued on until

"Team 9: Neji, Lee and Tenten."

"I knew it! Pay up!" Asuka shouted at his friend who handed him some money.

I could swear Iruka-sensei and some other people were sweat-dropping. Let me make a correction to my previous statement. Make it : 201 ways to kill Asuka. Beyond my anger at Asuka, I was pretty shocked. Was I that bad that I had to be in the same team as Neji? God, I sucked.

I didn't bother to pay attention to the rest of the teams.

"Tomorrow you'll meet your Jounin-sensei. Dismissed." Everyone else stood up and started leaving.

Iruka-sensei was cleaning the white board as the rest of my classmates left.

"Sensei, can I ask you a question."

"Sure."

"Did I do very badly?"

"I think your grades speak for themselves."

"But I'm in Neji's team..."

"Remember what I said? Since err...Lee is in your team... two very good students are needed."

Well, that made sense enough to me. So I thanked him and left.

* * *

I decided to train for awhile before going to bed early. 

Tomorrow would be the beginning of a new chapter of my life.

* * *

Author's Note: 

I haven't seen many Tenten centered fics, and since she's my favourite character, I decided to make one. I had lots of trouble deciding what to write about, then my sister asked me what I thought Tenten was like when she was younger. In the end I decided to make this fic.

Thanks to Midnight Memories for helping me and pointing out my (numerous) mistakes.

Now, move your cursor to the bottom left hand corner of the screen and click on the little purple button.


	2. Enter! Team 9

Disclaimer: If I owned it, would I be disclaiming it?

* * *

Even though I turned in early, I still didn't want to get out of bed, it was too cozy. So when the alarm clock rang, I was reaching for the kunai I kept in my bedside drawer. 

Suddenly, something burst into my room, screaming something intelligible and breaking my window with a loud crash. I was so freaked out. I screamed.

That _something_ was standing in front of what was once a window. On closer inspection, I realised that it was actually human. One with extremely thick eyebrows. And no fashion sense. Come on, a red forehead protector as a belt, over some hideous green _thing_? This guy is probably colour blind.

Next thing I knew, he gave me a thumbs up, a wink and a grin which I swore went "ping".

"Good morning my youthful student!" I wasn't sure how to respond. Would calling the police be better, or should I call the asylum. Wait a minute. Did he just say _student_?

"I am your mentor, Maito Gai." He gave another one of those grins. This time, I'm very sure I heard it.

What?

What?!

WHAT?!?!

**I HAVE A WEIRDO FOR A MENTOR?!?** Could things get any worse?

"OH NO!!!!" said weirdo screamed. I officially lost 50 of my hearing.

Once the ringing in my ears stopped, I heard him ranting about being late for some competition with a man and something about running 500 laps around Konoha if he lost. The other guy must be a nutcase, since he associated with said weirdo.

"I must bid you farewell." He climbed onto my "window sill" and prepared to leave. Thank God...

Just before he jumped off, he told me to meet him and the rest of my teammates at the Academy. Then he left, again shouting something I didn't catch. I was completely speechless. I reminded myself to get my new "_sensei_" to pay for the repairs to my window. Sighing, I got out of bed, no longer sleepy, thanks to that loud awakening and went to get ready.

* * *

When I arrived at the Academy, I saw Neji standing outside, leaning against the wall. Lee wasn't there yet. We greeted each other but were silent for awhile. 

"Err... I'm sorry about Asuka. He's such an idiot."

"Never mind."

"Have you met our sensei?"

"No, my...uncle did. He said that he was an interesting character."

"Interesting? More like weird." I proceeded to recount my "encounter" with him in the morning. By the time I finished, Neji's eyebrows were raised so high they had disappeared under his forehead protector.

"You're joking."

"I'm not."

Lee arrived and he asked me who our teacher was. I could only describe him, since I forgot his name. Did he even say his name?

**"MAITO GAI HAS ARRIVED!!!!!" **

The three of us looked behind and true enough, the same guy from before was standing on a tree behind us. A couple of birds were flying out of that same tree. I gave Neji an "I told you so" look as the Jounin jumped down and landed right in front of us.

"Sorry I'm late, I was waiting for my eternal rival so I could have a race with him around Konoha. Sadly, he didn't show up, so I declared myself the winner, bringing the score from 47:48 to 48:48. Then I realised that I had forgotten about my new students so I rushed here."

I blinked. Lee, for some reason, was looking at him admiringly. Neji was most likely thinking the same thing as I was: ...

"But before you introduce yourselves, I'd like to go to a different location..."

* * *

I don't even know why we bothered moving. We just chose a building and climbed to the top of it. The only special thing about it was the rooftop garden and that you could see most of Konoha from there. Lee, Neji and I sat down on the bench and waited for our sensei to speak. Finally, he spoke. 

"Alright, from today onwards, you all are Genin. I would like to listen to your dreams and goals for the future!"

"I want to be as strong as the legendary kunoichi, Tsunade-sama," I said immediately.

"What about you, Neji?" Gai-sensei asked.

Neji shifted slightly in his seat and said that he didn't want to answer. It was pretty rude of him, but I didn't really want to answer to this nut-case either, even if he's our sensei. Lee gave me a shock by suddenly raising his hands, shouting.

"Me! Me! Even if I can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, I want to prove to everyone that I can become a great ninja! That's everything to me!" Gai-sensei smiled slightly, while Neji snorted. Lee stood up abruptly and pointed at Neji.

"You, what's so funny?! I'm serious. Using only taijutsu, I will prove that I can become a great ninja." A smirk was dancing on Neji's lips.

"If you can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, then you aren't even a ninja," Neji's smirk widened, "You were the only guy to graduate from the academy with taijutsu alone." Neji stared at Lee right in the eye. "That's not something great, but special." Lee gasped then sighed.

I could see the point of what Neji said, but he didn't have to be so mean about it. Besides, if he could graduate with taijutsu alone, it means that his taijutsu wasn't too bad, even if he was last in class.

"You guys, that's not necessarily true if you have a strong will." All of our attention was brought back to our sensei. He gave that grin again before continuing. "If you keep practicing with your rivals, you'll definitely become a great ninja. But it takes hard work too." He gave us the pose again, which I later learnt was called the "Nice Guy" pose.

"Everyone, we'll be going for training soon. But first, do you all mind waiting for a while; I have a score to settle with my rival."

Lee saluted, Neji rolled his eyes, I shrugged.

* * *

So once again, we moved off. It was a random rooftop again. The three of us were standing on a balcony while Gai-sensei waited for his rival. I wonder who his rival is, but I sure hope he's not as crazy as my sensei. 

So we waited and waited and waited...

Then this man with gravity defying silver hair, a Jounin vest, a face mask, and an orange book arrived. He was walking towards Gai-sensei slowly and reading his book. Was it really such a good book?

"You're late! 17 minutes and 32 seconds to be exact." Why did it feel like hours?

Without taking his eyes off his book, the other guy drawled lazily.

"I don't want to fight today"

"We both have 48 wins. Whoever wins this will be the ultimate winner." The masked man sighed and finally closed his book.

"Even if I was to say no, it doesn't look like it would matter." It was pretty obvious that this guy didn't want to be here.

Gai-sensei struck a battle pose.

"It's your turn to decide the rules for this battle, isn't it? Yes! Be it taijutsu, 100 metre dash, sumo wrestling or a competition of who can eat the most!" Each time he said something, he made a funny pose. The other guy sweat dropped, as did I.

The silver-haired man crossed his arms and thought for a minute.

"If that's the case..."

"Well what is it?!?"

"Rock, Paper, Scissors." Ok...no wonder they're rivals. Both of them are psychopaths.

"What the Heck?!?"

"It's a saying that luck sometimes comes with practice, isn't it. Plus it will improve your reaction rate. It's a great challenge."

"I see..."

"He thinks it's a hassle, so he came up with a way to get it over with it," Neji pointed out.

"It sure seems that way," I added.

"I accept and will definitely not lose. If I do, I will walk 500 laps around Konoha upside down." Guess who said that.

"Not again with your idiotic ideas..." I agree, it was idiotic. Did he say 'again'? I suppose our new sensei was crazier than we thought.

He gave his less than enthusiastic rival a "Nice Guy" pose and said, "It's a promise."

His opponent sighed, "There you go again with your own special rules."

"Can he do something like that? It's completely absurd! It's like he's a kid." I nodded. Why was Neji stealing all my lines?

"True, even for Gai-sensei, it's impossible!"

"Not so much impossible as idiotic." I hate it when I'm left out of the conversation. Darn you Neji!

Meanwhile, below us...

"Rock, Paper Scissors!"

Gai lost. He clenched his fist saying, "500 laps as I promised!" Cue the pose...

* * *

He actually did it, you know. I didn't believe he could or would do it. But it told me two things. First, I was going to be stuck with a whack-job for a long, long time. Next, I would need to get my windows, doors and possibly my entire house reinforced. He owes me money… 

So while my "sensei" was off doing his ridiculous self-punishment, Neji, Lee and I were in a clearing situated in the middle of the forest that formed one of the many training grounds for ninja. We had decided to start our training without our sensei since he was...busy.

"Neji-san," Lee addressed Neji after we had finished warming up. "I would like to spar with you."

Neji raised an eyebrow in response. Smirking, he replied, "There's no point, we both know who will win."

"No we don't!" Lee retorted. "We won't know until we try."

"Lee, there's no way you'll beat him," I said, trying to dissuade my new teammate from doing something that stupid.

"Neji-san, please fight me," Lee said, getting into a battle pose. Sighing, Neji reluctantly did the same. The two of them fought on par for a while before Lee jumped into the trees with Neji in pursuit. After a short game of cat and mouse, Neji engaged Lee again. Unsurprisingly, the fight was over in a matter of minutes as Neji defeated Lee with some choice moves. In Lee's defense, he was able to dodge some of the blows, but it was obvious that Neji was holding back. Neji finished him off by giving him an uppercut to the jaw. Lee was sent flying and he landed on the ground.

"I haven't lost yet," he muttered in between groans, trying to get up.

"Lee," I sighed, placing my hands on my hips. "You don't learn, do you? You can't beat him. Neji's different from you, he's a genius."

"A genius? What is a genius!" Lee shouted, getting more and more worked up. "Even if I have no talent, I will surpass a genius with hard work! That's everything to me! That's my way of the nin-"

"It's useless, Lee. No matter how much you try, you can't defeat me. This has already been decided," Neji interrupted. I had to agree with Neji on this one.

"That's not true!" Lee screamed before mumbling, "It's not..." he trailed off. After a brief silence, Lee got up and ran off.

"Lee!" I tried calling him back, but he was already gone.

* * *

Lee had disappeared and Neji was meditating, so I decided to arrange all my weapons. I was still trying to think of how to carry all my weapons with me. I was planning to ask my new sensei, but that was out of the question. 

"You have _this _many weapons?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I have more actually; half of them are at home."

"You seem to like weapons."

"That's true." I picked up a kunai and started twirling it around my finger.

"How are you going to carry them around?" I caught the kunai.

"That's what I'm worried about."

"Hmm..." Neji studied one of my fuuma shuriken. "Have you thought of scroll summoning?"

"No. Why?"

"You can store lots of things in them. And they're pretty small and light."

"Ok. How?"

"I'll teach you on one condition."

"What?"

Neji contemplated for a few seconds before saying.

"Train with me."

"Excuse me?"

"I want to check your form. You are my teammate."

"What about Lee?"

"He's hopeless."

I giggled, in spite of myself.

So after Neji taught me how to put all my weapons into just two scrolls, we trained.

Throughout training, I felt something stirring inside me. What's this feeling?

I enjoyed myself immensly.

* * *

The next day, I was horrified to see a miniature Gai waiting for me at our meeting place. He had everything, from the bowl cut to the green body suit. He even had the red forehead protector. Their eyebrows were already alike so there was no difference there. I have no idea what our sensei said to my teammate, but whatever he said, it must have been really convincing. Or Lee just has bad taste.

"Tenten-san?" I closed my gaping mouth.

"Yes?"

"You should wear this suit as well. It's comfortable, lightweight, and our wonderfully youthful sensei wears it too, so it must be really good."

"I... err..." Luckily for me, Neji showed up. He stared at Lee's new appearance.

"Great. Now there are** two** of them..."

* * *

Author's Note: 

That was fast, I didn't expect to be able to update this quickly. Last night I had this wierd idea in my head, so I decided to start writing. I know that the about half is from the anime, but it couldn't really be helped.

I hope you enjoyed the fluff. It's there if you squint and look real hard. Beta read by Midnight Memories.

Thanks to all those who reviewed. Now, you know what to do.

Update: I was re-watching the anime and I found a scene which I had skipped before. I figured it would be relevant to the plot, so I added it.


	3. The Life of a Ninja

Disclaimer: ... Hold on...I'm trying to come up with a creative disclaimer...

* * *

"SENSEI" 

"LEE!!!"

"SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"SENSEI"

They've been at it for the last half an hour. Yup, half an hour. We were suppose to be training in the forest, but for some reason, Lee and Gai-sensei started talking about youth, which led him to say.

"I'll follow you always! Gai-sensei!"

"That's the spirit Lee. Now, on to the everlasting sunset!" Gai pointed dramatically towards the west. It was 10 in the morning...

Lee saluted and they proceeded with...

"LEE!!!"

"SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"SENSEI..."

* * *

So Neji and I were just standing around, waiting for them to finish. By now, it was painfully obvious that they weren't going to stop anytime soon. Neji got up from his seat on the ground and dusted off his pants. 

"I'm leaving."

"Huh?"

"All this noise is giving me a headache." He took several steps before turning back."You coming?" Taking this as an invitation to go with him, I followed him to another part of the forest. Near enough so that we wouldn't lose Lee and Gai-sensei, but far enough so that we couldn't hear their shouts.

"We'll train here. Besides, we're not going to get help from them." He cocked his head in Lee and Gai's direction. I nodded.

"What do you want to do?" I asked Neji, preparing my scrolls in case he wanted to spar.

"Well, I was developing a new technique..." New technique? Shit. I haven't thought of anything yet...

"Let me see." Neji obliged and started spinning around. At first I thought he was dancing, but then a blue dome formed around him. After several seconds, he stopped.

"What does it do?"

"It's called Kaiten. It's supposed to repel everything within range."

"Cool."

"I haven't completed it yet though."

"Oh." This made me feel better. Much better.

"Can you help me with it?"

"How?"

"Throw something at me."

For a moment there, I feared for Neji's sanity, or the lack of it. I looked at his face, he wasn't joking.

"Excuse me?"

"Just do it."

I took some shuriken out of my pocket and threw one at him, being careful not to hit any vital parts. Just before it hit him, he did his technique. Unfortunately, it wasn't repelled. It was suspended in the air for a few seconds before Neji stopped and it fell to the ground.

"Well it's on the right track," I said, summoning several more kunai.

"Hn. Try again."

This time I aimed so that it wouldn't hit him at all, even if it wasn't repelled. Just in case. Neji did the same thing as before. There was a small improvement: the shuriken was slightly repelled back towards me

"Wow. The way things are going, you'll be done with this in no time!"

"Try two."

So training finally commenced. I was practicing my aim and Neji was practicing his jutsu.

* * *

We continued for about two hours. By then, it was lunchtime. 

"That's enough for now," Neji said, taking a long draught from his bottle of water. I figured he was tired. I know I would be. My stomach growled, resulting in having Neji throw me a glance. Blushing, I said that I was hungry.

"Let's go for lunch."

"OK." I checked my pockets for money, but unfortunately fate was cruel on that day. "Sorry, I forgot to bring my money."

"My treat."

"No, I couldn't." My stomach, which had a mind of its own, growled again. Can't it shut up for once.

"It's the least I can do."

Maybe fate isn't that cruel after all.

* * *

After lunch, we went back to the forest. 

"Can we check on Lee and Gai-sensei? I'm worried about them." Actually I wasn't really worried. Just curious as to whether they were training or still doing that ridiculous thing.

"Fine." I guess he was curious too.

We went back and saw both of them kneeling on one knee and hugging each other. I was pretty shocked. I knew Lee was weird, just not this weird. Gai? I wasn't surprised at all. Ok, maybe I was, just a little bit.

"Can we leave now?" Neji had this strange look on his face. A cross between disgust and horror. I don't blame him. I'd be as horrified as him if I were a guy and I found out that my teammate and sensei were possibly gay.

* * *

After we got back to our spot, Neji proposed that we spar. 

So we did. After some time, I decided to use my weapons. It didn't really go as well as I had planned. You see, I was supposed to throw the scrolls into the air, summon out my weapons and throw them. There were two problems. First, the scrolls fell to the ground after two seconds. Second, the weapons refused to come out!

I was so annoyed that I forgot to channel chakra to keep myself in the air, which caused me to fall. I closed my eyes, expecting the impact. Strangely, the ground felt much softer than I expected it to be.

"Are you alright?" Neji was carrying me bridal style. He had saved me. I found myself staring into his pearly orbs. I never realised how nice they were. Our eyes met for a split second, making my cheeks redden slightly.

"Neji... you can put me down now." He did.

"What happened?"

"I...err..." I didn't really want to tell him. It was far too embarrassing. "The scroll kinda fell before I could do much... and..."

"And?" Neji prompted.

"I don't know how to get the weapons out."

Silence filled the clearing.

"Give me one of your scrolls." I tossed it to him.

He started teaching me how to concentrate my chakra into my fingers and which symbols to touch. About the scroll falling? I figured it out myself. I didn't want to depend on Neji for everything.

Once I had finally learned how to do it, we sparred. Again. This time, instead of throwing the scrolls straight up, I twirled them so that they would spiral and stay in the air longer. Even though I did everything correctly, let's just say that I needed practice. A lot of it.

Needless to say, Neji kicked my butt. He always did.

* * *

That was mostly how it went. Neji would practice his jutsu, I would practice my summoning to increase my speed. Lunch, followed by sparring. We did the same thing for the next training session, and the next... 

I was getting bored. So I was happy when we finally got a mission. I was thrilled, until I found out what we had to do...

"Exactly what does chasing and catching some cat have to do with being a ninja?" I asked Neji for the third time in the same day as we were following that damned cat.

"Nothing. But it's still a mission, so we have to do it." I sighed. Naturally, I paired up with Neji. Lee and Gai were acting like Siamese twins.

Before the mission started, Gai was going on about how catching the cat will prove our "youth". I couldn't see the connection. I suppose with Gai, everything leads back to youth, no matter how ridiculous it is. Lee didn't do that. At first, I was thankful. Instead, he decided to talk about his "self-punishment" if he failed. I have no idea which was worse. One thing's for certain, Lee was turning into a Gai clone.

As we followed the devil's spawn, I mean the cat, I was getting irritated.

"Where is it?"

"I don't sense anything..."

"YOUTH AT FULL POWER!!!"

"YES! GAI-SENSEI!"

We stared in their direction.

"It seems that-"

"they've found the cat." Neji completed.

* * *

They didn't. They were just shouting randomly. For what? Maybe to annoy us... 

As we were looking around, I found scratch marks on the bark of a tree.

"Neji, the cat was here. Look."

**"LEE! FORWARD!!!"**

**"YES! I MUST PROVE MY YOUTH!!!" **We looked at each other before walking off.

Much later in the afternoon...

"Where is that stupid cat?" I was getting more annoyed by the minute. Even the usually calm Neji was looking irritated.

"It had better show up."

**"GET THAT CAT!!!"**

Haven't they heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? Wait. Did they say "cat"?

* * *

Our first mission was successful, since we did complete objective. But I was disappointed; we had taken forever to find the target, gotten injured by the target, nearly impaled it... Basically, we we horrible. 

Apparently, Gai-sensei was thinking the same thing.

So after running 400 laps, we were forced to train with Gai-sensei and Lee. This time, they didn't go on and on about youth, but we were forced to do everything Lee did. 1000 push-ups, kick a log 800 times, jump rope 500 times, 200 sit-ups, punch a log 350 times...

It was great stamina training, but what was the point? Would a ninja be forced to jump rope? Or do sit-ups? I was positive that our opponents wouldn't be stationary either. Training with Neji was so much more effective, plus it was actually enjoyable.

I was so tired by the end of the day that I didn't bother to go to bed.

I need a more comfortable couch.

* * *

Author's Note: 

First training(s) and mission. Hope you enjoyed the cameo by "Tora" the cat.

Beta read by Midnight Memories.

Review! When you review, I know how the story is going, if it's going well, I can update more.


	4. Gai's Wacky Holiday

Disclaimer: Failed to think of a creative one.

* * *

After a month of training, missions, more training and more missions... 

Neji had completed his Kaiten. It could now repel almost anything. Now he was working on increasing its range and some other secret technique.

My summoning was improving. My speed had increased, as well as the time I could stay in the air. I killed two cats with one shuriken by practicing my technique to help Neji with his Kaiten.

I had absolutely no idea what Lee was doing. I think he was training, if shouting and hugging counts as training that is.

* * *

One fine Friday, which was supposed to be our day off, Gai called for training. So at dawn, Team 9 met at the Academy. 

"What's this all about?" I yawned. Nice guy pose, courtesy of Gai.

"Well, I figured that you were all getting bored of training, so I decided to celebrate something." Oh boy. This couldn't be good. "I did some research and found out that today is... YOUTH DAY!!!" My jaw hit the ground. Even Neji looked appalled. Lee looked thrilled.

"I. Am. Not. Celebrating. Any. Holiday," Neji said firmly.

"I'd rather train or catch that cat again." I added quite truthfully.

"Listen everyone, training is important, but all work and no play makes Neji a dull boy." Neji shot a death glare at Lee, making the latter shut up.

"Since I am your teacher, I force you to celebrate your youth."

"Fine, I shall do that at home," Neji turned to leave.

"If you leave, I will not enter you in the Chuunin exams and you will remain a Genin forever." We obviously didn't have any choice but to go along with this craziness.

"So, what are we doing first?" I asked. I wanted to get this over with so that I could go train.

"First we shall help out in the Academy."

"Yes! If I can't help, I will run a race around the world!" Lee announced. He had started too.

"How does helping in the Academy celebrate our youth?" I asked Gai who grinned.

"Do we have to do this?" Neji groaned.

"Very well, since I am a fair person, we'll take a vote. Who thinks we should help at the Academy?" Lee's hand shot up, an act so predictable that I openly rolled my eyes at him.

"Who thinks we shouldn't?" Neji and I raised our hands. Since we outnumbered Lee, I could go train and-

"But I vote that we should, and since I am your sensei, my vote counts as two votes. Onward!"

This was going to be a long day...

* * *

Neji and I were put in charge of a class of 6 year-olds. Unfortunately, their teacher was absent. 

"Hey! Where's the teacher?" A cute little boy in the front row asked.

"She's not here today, so my teammate and I will be taking care of you for today," I explained.

"Really?"

"Yes. So what do you want to do?"

"Target Practice!"

So we headed outside to the targets. The students were surprisingly quiet and well-behaved.

I helped the kids and taught them how to throw shuriken and kunai. Big mistake. I forgot that Academy students weren't even supposed to handle weapons at this age. It wasn't long before pandemonium started. All of them were running around, shouting and throwing shuriken randomly. I was failing miserably at trying to settle them down.

"Neji, a little help here?"

"I don't know anything about kids."

"Well neither do I."

"You're a girl."

"Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean that I know how to look after kids!"

"Fine." Neji glared at them. Needless to say, it didn't work. I never knew I was that hard to handle when I was young.

"Now what?"

"I don't know. Hyuga children don't act like this."

"We're dealing with regular people here."

"Are you saying that I'm not normal?"

"You? Normal?!"

Our argument was getting louder and louder. Before I realized it, the only noise that could be heard was our voices. All the children were staring at us.

"Why are you fighting?" a girl with pigtails asked.

"We're not fighting, just having a disagreement."

"Oh."

"Everyone back inside." The baboons, I mean kiddies, trooped back into the building. As they were walking back, one of them tripped and scraped her knee.

"Oww..." she looked like she was going to cry. I bent down to her height and pulled out a tissue, then dabbed the small trickles of blood away.

"Don't cry. A kunoichi must be brave."

The little girl wiped her tearful eyes before giving me a wobbly smile. Nodding bravely, she then turned around and headed back towards her fellow classmates

"You'll make a great mother," Neji said.

I blushed.

"Thanks. Sorry about..."

"I'm sorry too."

* * *

When we got back to the class... 

"Who has any questions?"

"About what?"

"Anything."

"Why is Yoko-sensei absent?"

"Err..."

"Don't you remember? She's having a baby." A blue haired boy said.

The class was silent for a moment.

"I have a question," a girl with a ponytail raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"Where do babies come from?"

* * *

So after that disastrous and embarrassing episode in the Academy... 

"Ok, I've celebrated my youth. Now can I leave?" Neji asked, annoyed.

"NOOOO!!!" Gai jumped in front of Neji's path. "We have yet to finish our activities for today." Neji sighed. I was less than thrilled. "At sunset, we shall head to the beach and stand in front of the crashing waves, proclaiming our youth."

"..."

"In the meantime, can we train?" I asked.

"NO! We must celebrate our youth while it lasts!" Lee screamed.

"Fine," I sighed.

"I know, since all of you are so youthful, let us find you someone to spend your youth with," Gai proclaimed.

"NO!" both Neji and I shouted in desperation, ignoring the excited look that spread itself on Lee's face

"You're going to force us to go out with someone?" I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

"YES!" Gai shouted.

"Oh. I've never had a date before," Lee announced. Seriously, how old are we?

"Don't worry Lee, with our eternal flame of youth, girls would be queuing up just to date us!" Nice guy pose.

"Yes! Gai-sensei!" Lee saluted.

"Now before we start, Neji, you need to cut your hair."

"Touch me and die."

"But Neji, you need beautiful hair like mine if you want to get a girlfriend," Lee piped up.

"I don't want to."

"Don't blame us if people think you're a girl."

Neji fumed for a minute before calming down.

"I do not look like a girl."

* * *

"Ok, since we're at the Academy, we might as well start here." Gai spoke, waving his hands towards the building." 

As we walked along the lower floors.

"Gai-sensei, these are the classrooms for the younger kids," I pointed out.

"But, young children are more youthful." I backed away. My teacher's a pedophile.

When we got to the upper levels, Lee peered into class 06-02.

"Gai-sensei, I have found my one true love!"

"Where is she?" Lee and Gai both poked their heads into the classroom. The students must have thought they were lunatics.

"Oh yes Lee! Good choice. Now Lee has someone, now we're left with the two of you." Neji and I glanced at each other, before looking at our sensei.

"I'm not going to participate in this ridiculous scheme."

"Neither am I."

"Gai-sensei, I have a something to say." Lee announced proudly.

"Yes?"

"Tenten and Neji seem to like each other."

"WHAT?!?" I screamed, drawing the attention of everyone in the Academy. Some busybodies even came out to see what was going on. Neji had the grace to gape, probably too shocked to speak.

"It's not like that!" I tried to explain, but Gai would not hear of it.

"Oh! I understand. That's why you two always leave when Lee and I are training." The on-lookers gasped.

"No!" I growled, my cheeks tinting with embarrassment. Neji then placed his hand on my shoulder, either to comfort me or to attempt to calm me down.

"There is nothing going on between us."

"You don't have to deny it. We understand it perfectly, don't we Lee?" I vowed to kill Lee and dig him out of his grave to kill him again. Neji was shooting ultimate death glares at him.

Lee didn't take the hint.

"Look at the time! Gai-sensei, we musn't miss the sunset!"

"Yes. Now let us go to the beach!"

* * *

"First Asuka, now our teammates." I grumbled, irritated at the said people. 

"It doesn't matter."

We were now at the beach. Neji and I were watching the sunset while Lee and Gai were at the water's edge, ranting about their youth.

"Come and join us!" Lee shouted.

"Shh! Lee!"

"Oh yes. I forgot." I rolled my eyes. Jeez, it's not like we were doing anything.

I yawned softly, leaning my head on Neji's shoulder. It felt soft and warm. For some reason, I always feel so comfortable and happy around him, even though I almost never spent time with him before we recently became a team. Neji tensed slightly, before relaxing.

"Tenten?"

"Sorry, I'm tired."

Before I drifted off to dreamland, I could have sworn that I felt someone's hand on my shoulder.

* * *

Author's Note: 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I got the idea when I realised that Youth Day was coming. Yes, there really is such a holiday.

Thanks to my sister for the "finding a partner in youth" idea and the "cutting hair" idea. Beta read by Midnight Memories.

Now, you know what to do!


	5. New Mission: Escort the Daimyo's Son

Disclaimer: Yup, own it, that why I'm disclaiming it.

* * *

The next morning, I found myself wrapped in something warm and soft. It was just too comfortable, I didn't want to get up. Snuggling deeper into the fluffiness, I realized that my bed wasn't this comfortable, neither was my comforter. My eyes shot open and I thought that it snowed or something. Everything was white except for the cupboard, which was a light brown. I screamed. 

The sliding door opened, and Neji rushed in.

"What happened?"

"N..Neji?!? What are you doing here?"

"I live here."

"What? What the hell am I doing in your house, you sick pervert?"

"Well you fell asleep on my shoulder and refused to wake up. So I took you to my house, because I have no idea where you live." I blushed, I'd been asleep for that long? On Neji's shoulder? "Oh... Thanks."

"Hn. Hurry up, we have a mission." I groaned.

"If I have to catch that cat again, I'll kill it." Neji gave a small, amused smile. I never knew he could be amused, let alone smile. But he looked cute, so I'm not complaining...

"It's a C rank escort mission."

"Oh." I climbed out of the bed and found out that I was wearing a white robe. "Where are my clothes?"

"I had them cleaned."

"Then," my eyes widened, "who put this on for me?"

"It wasn't me. It was my aunt's father's neice's cousin's nephew's grandmother's daughter."

"Um..."

* * *

Neji and I headed to Hokage tower to receive our mission. We met Lee and Gai there. 

"You will be escorting the Daimyo of the Fire country's youngest son, Tatsuya Ishida, from his home to Konoha and back. The person you're protecting sounds high profile, but the risk is low since he has his own guards and the distance from the palace to Konoha is rather short. Also, this visit is purely for his enjoyment, not official, but his opinion of Konoha and its ninjas is important. Team Gai, you will set-off for the palace at noon. Dismissed!"

All of us headed home to pack and prepare for the mission.

* * *

We met at the main gate along the southern border of Konoha. 

"Team, move out! YOUTH AT FULL POWER!!!" Guess who said that.

"YES! If I cannot get there within an hour I shall do 600 push-ups. If I cannot do that, I will-"

"Ok, Ok. Let's just get going." I cut Lee off. I knew what would happen if he went on. Think lots of kneeling, crying, shouting and imaginary sunsets.

* * *

The journey went by uneventfully. We arrived there in less than an hour, saving time and Lee from his punishment. But with the daimyo's son and his entourage, the return trip would take forever. Maybe longer. At least we completed the mission partially. 

The castle was large, grand and beautiful. It was my childhood dream to live in a place like this. We passed numerous gardens, buildings and servants. This guy was definitely rich.We entered the main building and met the person we were supposed to be escorting.

He was pretty tall, maybe 14 or 15. Midnight blue hair and grey eyes on his tanned face. Rippling abs and a six-pack. Hot? Yes. Cute? Definitely.

"Ahh so you are my escorts from Konoha." Wow. Even his voice sounded hot.

"Maito Gai, at your service!" Gai did his nice guy pose, causing the hot- I mean the daimyo's son to wince.

"Rock Lee!" Another pose, another wince.

"Hyuga Neji." I was too busy staring to introduce myself. Neji elbowed me.

"I'm Tenten, nice to meet you." He smiled at me. He looks cuter smiling.

"Likewise. We'll be leaving in half an hour, please feel free to freshen up before that."

* * *

I was walking back to the main hall after I finished. This place was like a maze and after getting lost twice, a servant showed me where to go. On the way, I bumped into Neji. 

"Hi!"

"You're done?"

"Yeah."

"What were you doing just now?"

"Hmm?"

"You were staring at him."

"I was just...shocked. I didn't expect him to look so-"

"So what?" a new voice cut in. I turned around and saw the daimyo's son behind me. My cheeks felt slightly warm.

"Tenten, am I right?"

"Y..yes." He lifted my hand and brushed his lips on my hand, making me blush harder.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Tatsuya Ishida, youngest son of Yamato Ishida the daimyo of Fire country." He grinned and I giggled. "And you're the Hyuga?" Ishida asked Neji, who grunted in response. "Where are your teammates?"

"...I'm not sure," I stammered while Neji remained silent."

"I suppose they should be on the way. Are they related?" Haha. I had thought so too.

"Not that I know of."

"Shall we?" he offered me his arm. I took it. We walked in front while Neji trailed behind

* * *

The three of us arrived at the entrace to see Lee, Gai and the rest of Ishida's guards waiting for us. 

"Lets go!" Gai shouted happily.

Ishida rode his horse. Neji and I stood at eihter side to protect him. Gai lead while Lee brought up the rear along with the other guards.

"How is it like being a ninja?"

"Not too bad. Low level missions are a pain though." I proceeded to recount our first mission, making Ishida laugh heartily.

"I suppose being a ninja isn't easy."

"Training is fun though."

"Do you train with your team?"

"Not exactly. Neji and I train together, Lee and Gai-sensei train together. I think,"

"Think?"

"I'm not sure what goes on with them."

"I see."

"Neji is a really good sparring partner. He beats me everytime."

His attention shifted from me to Neji. "You must be very talented, Hyuga-san."

"Thank you." Neji spoke his first words in hours. His voice sounded...different. Colder.

* * *

"We'll stop here for the night." Ishida said as the soldiers set up camp. 

"Gai-sensei, shall we prove our youth by taking the first watch?" Lee questioned enthusiastically.

"What a wonderful idea! If I fall asleep, I shall not sleep again for a week!"

"Me too!" Everyone else sweatdropped.

"Are they always like this?" Ishida asked.

"Yes."

"Do they actually-"

"Yes, all the time." I knew what he was going to ask, I'd ask them the same question everytime."

"Lee, don't be ridiculous," Neji said.

"No! It's not ridiculous. You can depend on me, Ishida-san, if I fall asleep, I won't sleep for the next month!"

"Err...ok..."

* * *

Lee and Gai took the first watch, followed by Neji and I. 

"Why do you talk to him so much?" Neji questioned.

"He asked a question so I answered him. What's wrong with that?"

"We shouldn't associate with the person we're supposed to be guarding."

"I was just being friendly, besides, he's a pretty nice guy."

"This is a mission." God, he's so ninja oriented.

"I know."

"Also, you shouldn't be revealing so much about Konoha."

By then, I was getting annoyed.

"I wasn't revealing anything. For heaven's sake, he's going to the village. If there's anything to see, he can see for himself."

"Why are you getting so worked up?"

"I am not."

"You are." I got up from my spot on the forest floor, dusting off my pants.

"Our shift is over. I'm going to bed."

* * *

The next morning, we set off once again, assuming the same positions as the day before. 

"Tenten-san, what's wrong. You seem upset." He could tell?

"It's nothing. Didn't sleep much."

"I'll get the guards to take the watch shifts next time."

"No need. We'll be arriving there in an hour or so." Neji said.

"Thank you for your concern, Ishida-sama."

"Call me Tatsuya." I blushed again. I seem to be doing that a lot.

"Ok, Tatsuya-san."

Gai ordered the party to halt. What happened?

Suddenly, a large group of bandits jumped out of the surrounding bushes. The soldiers surrounded Tatsuya to protect him. Gai took out 3 at a time with his "Dynamic Entry". Neji was using his Kaiten to attack the bandits while Lee was engaged in a taijutsu fight with one of them.

My turn. I drew out a scroll from my bag and jumped into the air. Opening the scroll and using my chakra to keep myself in the air, I threw everything I had at the bandits, careful not to hit anyone from the party or my teammates. All of them hit.

A rather large group of the assailants were sprawled on the ground with kunai and shuriken embedded in various appendages. Some of them poofed and became logs.

"They're ninja!" I called out. The circle around Tatsuya tightened. I summoned a bo-staff and looked around for the remaining bandits.

"Byakugan!" Huh? In my momentary lapse of concentration, one of them managed to sneak up behind me.

"Tenten! Behind you!" Neji's voice rang out. I whipped the staff in a full 360 degrees, incapacitating him.

"Tenten, jump up and throw where I direct you to!"

I complied and did the same move as before.

"31 degrees north, 5m. 57 degrees east, 3.5m. The last one is... south 27 degrees 8m."

Before they could react, my shiruken made contact. Not bad for my first actual fight.

* * *

After the bandits, we arrived at Konoha without anymore mishaps. 

"Welcome to Konoha, Ishida-sama."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"I hope you enjoy your stay here. Might I ask what you think of the village so far?"

"It's beautiful, more so than most. I would like to commend the ninja who were assigned to protect me. They did an excellent job."

"Thank you. Now, we must take our leave." Gai and Lee exited the room, followed by Neji.

Just as I was about to leave...

"Tenten-san?"

"Yes?"

"Would you do me the honour of being my guide during my stay here?" I smiled.

"I'd be delighted to."

* * *

Author's Note: 

I am so sorry for the late update. School's started so I'm busier than ever. Nonetheless, I will still try to update at least once a week.

Thank you to Midnight Memories for pointing out the mistakes in the chapter. Big apology to all readers, my usual beta reader is busy. Sorry!

Review, Review, Review!!!


	6. Truth about Ishida

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. There. I said it. Happy?

* * *

After leaving Hokage Tower, Tatsuya proposed that we take a stroll around the village. 

"Where do you want to start?"

"My fate is in your hands," he said jokingly, which made me burst into a soft laugh.

"Well-" I was interrupted by my stomach. Why is it everytime I'm with a hot/cute guy I get hungry.

"I'm sorry, I should have realized that you were hungry after not eating for so long."

"It's fine, really. It's not your fault."

"In that case, let me treat you to lunch."

He's such a gentleman.

* * *

Once we finished eating, we resumed our stroll around the village. We were walking quite aimlessly, pausing to take a closer look at anything interesting along the way. 

When we passed by a store selling little trinkets and ornaments, I spotted a pair of lacquered chop sticks that were intricately carved and embedded with crystals in various colours. There were several larger diamonds dangling off the ends. They were so beautiful that I couldn't stop staring at them. I picked up one of them and examined it. The quality was excellent, so was the craftsmanship.

"How much is this?"

"You have exquisite taste young lady. That was made by craftsmen from the Country of the Waves and the diamonds were imported from the mines of Wind Country." My heart sank, it wasn't going to be cheap.

"It's going at a mere 20 000 ryo. It's actually worth more, but I'm giving you a discount."

I replaced them. There was absolutely no way I could afford them.

"We'll take it."

"What?" Tatsuya was already taking the money out his wallet.

"Tatsuya-san, there's no need. I'm a ninja, I don't have anywhere to wear these to. Besides, they're too expensive, I couldn't possibly-"

"Here." A velvet box was pressed into my hands.

"It's a present, to thank you for being my guide."

"But-"

"I insist."

"Thank you, Tatsuya-san." He's a really generous person.

* * *

We walked for a long time before arriving at Konoha's crowded shopping district. We entered a small tea house to rest for a while. 

"May I help you?" A young pretty waitress welcomed us at the door. Tatsuya flashed her a dazzling smile.

"Yes, 2 green teas and a plate of dango."

"Y..yes." The waitress walked towards the kitchen, occasionally looking back to glance at Tatsuya. We sat beside a window, enjoying the cool breeze. The waitress came back and served us our food.

"Would you like anything else?" she asked. Obviously her question was directed at Tatsuya.

"No it's fine. Thank you." He smiled again causing the waitress to blush before going back to her work.

We ate in silence, only speaking occasionally. When we were finshed, Tatsuya called for the waitress.

"Let me pay, you've paid for everything else today."

"No need. I'll pay."

"Actually it's on the house," the waitress quipped, showing us out of the building.

"Do come again." Tatsuya grinned.

"Definitely." The waitress blushed so hard, her face was the same colour as her hair.

I rolled my eyes.

* * *

As it turned out, Tatsuya drew the attention of majority of the females that we passed. 

"Oh my God. Look at that guy, he's almost as hot as Sasuke-kun!" one of the girls squealed to her group of friends. They immediately began following us, not very discreetly. Some of them had the guts to come up to him and talk to him.

"Hi! I haven't seen you before. Are you new in town?"

"Yes, I'm here on a little trip."

"Who's that? Your girlfriend?" another girl pointed at me. Wonder which she'll prefer, a kunai, senbon or shuriken...

"She's a friend of mine."

"Oh I see. So, can I show you around Konoha?" Hey... wait... isn't that my job?

"Of course." One thing occurred to me. He's a flirt.

So we continued our walk, which was more like a parade of girls clamouring to hold hands with one guy. Tatsuya didn't seem annoyed at all; in fact he was thrilled.

On the contrary, I was pissed. He's such a... argh! I seriously need to hit something...

* * *

I went to my usual training spot in the woods, preparing to do some target practice. Someone else was thinking the same thing.There were straw dummies set up on trees with little targets on the face and stomach. Neji was already there, practicing his aim on said dummies. 

"Oh, Neji."

"Why didn't you show up for training?" Shit. I had clean forgotten about it.

"I am so sorry, I was...busy."

"Hn." He threw the shuriken so hard that it got embedded in the tree behind the dummy. Boy was he pissed.

"Er... wanna spar?"

"Ok."

We got into our battle stances. I made the first move by summoning a spiked mace with a chain. I swung it at Neji but he dodged. Neji threw a shuriken, pinning the chain to a tree. I dropped the mace and did my usual move.

Neji's Kaiten repelled all of my weapons. When he started to slow down, I landed and rushed towards him. Bad idea. Instead of stopping, he spun faster. I went flying backwards and hit a tree, hard.

"Tenten, are you okay."

"Oww..." Now I know how those bandits felt...

Neji helped me up.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Afterall this is a spar."

"You sure you want to continue?"

"Yeah. Hold on a minute." I summoned two staffs and threw one in Neji's direction. He easily caught it and gave me a quizzical glance.

"Ok. Go."

Neji ran towards me, twirling his staff expertly. Not bad. He swung it at me but I dodged, the weapon whizzing harmlessly over my head. Then, using my own staff as a leverage, I jumped up and kicked him to the ground. He landed gracefully, but I could tell it hurt. He started forming a seal.

"Byakugan!"

The nerves around his eyes swelled up and his pearly orbs looked more pronounced. Like they could see through anything.

'Bunshin no jutsu!" Five copies of me appeared, running in different directions towards Neji, preparing to strike. The real me was behind Neji. Before my staff made contact, the blow was parried by Neji's staff. How did he know I was the real one? He proceeded to give me a spinning kick.

Ouch.

I used the end of the staff as leverage to do a flip and land on the ground. I rushed towards Neji who swept the staff along the ground, tripping me.

"Hey! You cheated!"

"That's not cheating," Neji said innocently. Yeah right.

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"Fine." I threw down my staff and summoned a naginata (pole with a curved blade on one end) from my scroll.

"Now that is cheating."

"You cheated first!"

"Let's just continue."

"Fine." I attacked him, he dodged.

"Shouldn't you use a staff too?" Neji asked, blocking my attack. I shrugged in response.

"You didn't say I had to. Too late now!" I kicked Neji who blocked it with his staff. I took the opportunity to cut the staff in half.

I stopped my blade before it just before it touched his neck.

"I win."

"You cheated."

"You did too!"

"I did not."

"You...I...Argh forget it."

I put the staff and naginata back into the scroll.

"Ahh... This was my favourite staff too..."

"You were the one who cut it in half, not me."

"Oh well, plenty more where that came from." Neji lowered his eyes and remained quiet, a stoic expression on his face. "Never mind. By the way, what was that skill?"

"It's the Hyuga bloodline, Byakugan."

"Sounds cool. What does it do."

"With it I have 360 degree vision. I can also detect anything around within a certain radius and see through things over long distances."

"Oh, so that's how you found those bandits."

Silence...

"Wait... if it can see through things..."

I looked at Neji, the veins around his eyes were still puffy and he was looking right at me.

"KYAAA!!! NEJI! Turn it off!"

* * *

The rest of the week went by quite normally, the only thing different was the only occasional scream of... 

"TATSUYA-SAMA!!!"

Once in awhile, I would see Ishida hanging out with a few girls. A different group everytime. What did I ever see in him? Well he is hot, but he's a total womanizer.

The end of the week meant two things; Ishida would be gone and Konoha would be quieter. So you can't imagine how happy I was when Sunday came.

When my team, Ishida and his entourage were leaving Konoha, practically half, maybe more than half, of the female population was there to see us off.

"Tatsuya-sama! We'll miss you!"

"Be sure to come again!"

"Don't worry, I'll come back to visit again soon." He flashed them a grin at which some of them fainted, others swooned and majority of them screamed louder. I covered my ears to preserve the remaining fifty percent of my hearing. Make that forty. Another ten was lost over the course of the week.

"Can we leave now?" I asked, trying to control the bottled up rage that had built up over the course of the week.

Ishida gave one last look at his fangirls, waved, and ordered everyone to start.

The moronic/bimbotic girls started crying. Can you believe it? But when I looked at them with disdain and disgust, I couldn't help thinking that I had acted like them before. Sort of. On a very much smaller scale. So everytime I looked at Ishida, I felt pretty embarassed.

Kami, let this mission be over already.

* * *

Author's Note: 

Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a pretty hard time deciding what would make Tenten dislike Ishida. I was torn between making him gay or a total flirt ( I know someone who acts like that. He's handsome but you can count his IQ points on the fingers of one hand. He's also a three-timer.)

I edited the paragraphing. Too many one-liners. Thanks to Midnight Memories for pointing that out. Maybe she should be my beta reader instead of my sis, but then my sis would be out of a job.

Update: My sis is out of a job. Officially. Beta read by Midnight Memories.

You know what to do...


	7. End of mission: Goodbye Ishida

Disclaimer: Is my name Masashi Kishimoto? I don't think so.

* * *

As we travelled further from Konoha, unfortunately... 

"What do you mean we're lost!?!" I screamed at Gai-sensei.

Said person sheepishly replied, "I seem to have read the map wrongly."

"You're a Jounin! Our sensei! How could you have made such a stupid mistake!"

"Well, I thought that if we took a shortcut, we would get there faster."

"That was retarded," Neji said simply.

"Gai-sensei, perhaps you could let me try," Lee said, grabbing the map from his look-alike.

* * *

"We're back at where we started," Neji said with a hint of annoyance. I noticed the shuriken on a tree. Why didn't I think of that? 

"Lee, give me the stupid map." Lee handed it to me. "No wonder we're lost, you've been reading it upside-down." Lee's jaw hit the ground and his face paled. Tears welled up in his already large eyes, which had widened to unbelievable poportions. He looked utterly devastated.

"Gai-sensei! I'm a failure!" Overeacting much?

"No, Lee. You're the best student I've ever had! You must have confidence in your blazing fire of youth!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

**"GAI-SENSEI!"**

**"LEE!"**

Yes, the two of them were kneeling, crying, hugging and all that jazz.

* * *

Meanwhile, the sane people were trying to find a way back to the path. 

"Neji, can't you use byakugan?"

"Tried. Didn't work. We're probably too far from the path already."

I sighed. "Well, now what do we do?"

"We could try looking for it, but it's going to take awhile." I turned to Ishida, who was confused.

"Ishida-san, I'm sorry but our trip is going to take longer than expected."

"Are your teammates really that upset?" Ishida gestured at Lee and Gai, who were crying harder than ever and trying to suffocate each other.

"No, they're always like that." I turned my attention back to Neji. "So do we go, or let Gai-sensei and Lee go?"

"There's no way they're going to stop, they haven't ranted about youth yet. You and I will go."

"Fine with me." I walked towards Lee and Gai, trying to make myself heard over their cries. "Gai-sensei, Neji and I are going to look for the path. Stay here and don't move, ok?" The only response I got was:

**"NOW MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT, LET US HEAD FOR THE EVERLASTING SUNSET!!!"**

**"YES GAI-SENSEI!"**

Everyone else sweatdropped.

* * *

"Byakugan!" Neji scanned the area. 

"Neji if you look at me, I'll kill you."

"I'm not. Even if I did, I'd look through you completely, not just your-" Neji stopped abruptly and coughed slightly, blushing very faintly. Do you believe him? I know I don't.

I examined the forest floor, feeling quite useless. Neji was doing everything, as usual. Wait a minute...

"Neji, look! Horse tracks." I knelt on the ground to take a closer look. "If we follow the tracks and retrace our steps, we should be able to find the path."

Neji followed the trail with his eyes.

"I suppose it could work."

Thankfully it did. Once we found the path, we marked our trail with some kunai and went back to find the rest of the group.

* * *

When we arrived at our original location... 

"Have you found it?" Ishida asked, looking quite upset.

"Yes," I replied. What's wrong with him.

"Thank go- I mean... Let's go." Ishida ordered his men to take up their positions.

Then I spotted Lee and Gai-sensei.

"Lee what are you doing?" They were still hugging each other. Neither were moving a muscle, even their absurdly thick eyebrows weren't twitching, though Neji and I were. No wonder Ishida looked so happy to get away...

"I'm not moving. You told me not to," Lee mumbled, trying to move his lips as little as possible.

"That's the spirit Lee!" Gai said, winking. Lee gasped and clapped his hands over his mouth.

"Gai-sensei! You moved!"

"Oh no! So did you! Well, a promise is a promise."

"Yes! Gai-sensei!"

* * *

We were walking along the path back to the palace. Gai and Lee were walking on their hands while the rest of us walked normally. 

"Lee, we must fulfill our promise!"

"Yes Gai-sensei!" Lee tried to punch the air but failed. "In future, if I ever move when I'm not supposed to, I will tie myself to a chair and not move for three days!"

"That's wonderful, Lee!"

"Aren't you going to stop them?" Ishida asked me, his eyes glued to Lee and Gai. Maybe he was worried for their sanity, I know I was.

"I gave up after the first few times."

We reached a gorge which we had crossed before. The rope bridge was hanging from the edge, suspended on several wooden poles. It looked as unstable as ever. I peered over the edge and saw water rushing over the jagged rocks below. If we fell and the height didn't kill us, the water would. I gulped.

"Yosh! I shall try first!" Gai "walked" across the bridge and crossed safely. "Ishida-sama! Your turn." Ishida tottered unsteadily on his horse but, reached the other side.

Suddenly, I heard leaves rustling. "Neji," I whispered. He nodded and activated his byakugan. Before he could complete his survey of the area, a group of bandits jumped out of the trees behind us.

"It's the ones from before!" Lee called from the rear, knocking out one by punching his stomach.

"We beat them before, we can do it again!" I whipped out my scroll and summoned my weapons. About half of the bandits fell.

"There's more on the way." Neji said, byakugan activated.

"Crap." I pulled out a scroll of bombs and started throwing them at strategic places. Another dozen bit the dust.

While Neji, Lee, and I held them back, Gai was supervising the soldiers as they crossed the bridge. I could hear the ropes groaning. Not good.

"We have to get across!"

Lee kicked another bandit before running across the bridge. Neji stopped his Kaiten and followed.

"Come on!" Lee shouted. I threw my largest bomb yet and hoped that the explosion would kill them, if not scare them away. I ran across the bridge and was about halfway across when the surviving bandits started running after me.

Our combined weight was simply too much. The ropes on the ends were beginning to snap. Behind me, the bandits were screaming and running for the end closest to them. I quickened my pace, channeling chakra into my feet to increase my speed. Just when I reached the other side, the rope snapped and the remaining bandits plummetted to their doom.

"Tenten-san are you alright?" Ishida asked with a look of concern on his face.

"I'm ok."

The rock beneath me chose to collapse then. Someone up there must hate me. Luckily, I felt a hand catch my flailing one, pull me back up and help me onto solid ground.. Neji had saved me again.

"Thanks," I smiled at Neji who gave me a tiny one in return.

"No problem."

* * *

We stopped for the night in the middle of a clearing. Thanks to Gai and Lee's stupidity, as well as the bandits, the journey would take longer than ever. 

The trip back to Konoha had better not be this long..

This time, Neji and I took the first watch. Hopefully I would be able to sleep after that, sleeping on the ground takes a long time to get used to. For sone reason, everyone else didn't really have a problem, even Lee and Gai who were snoring loudly.

"Neji, I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything."

"I acted like an idiot, fawning over Ishida and all that. You were right. This is a mission, I should take it more seriously. And I'm sorry about snapping at you the other day."

"Don't worry about it. It's fine."

"Thank you Neji."

"You don't have to thank me."

"You saved my life."

"Hn."

I smiled. "I'm getting sleepy. I'll wake up Lee and Gai-sensei." I barely stifled a yawn as I poked Lee. "Lee, wake up!" Lee's eyes shot open.

"What? Who's attacking? Is it an ambush?"

"No, it's your shift now."

"Oh. Alright. GAI-SENSEI! WAKE UP!" I covered my ears.

"Lee! Do you want to wake everyone up?"

"Sorry," he whispered.

"I'm going to sleep now. Good night Neji. Good night Lee." I crawled into my tent and curled up into a ball. I couldn't wait to sleep on a soft, feather bed again.

* * *

We arrived at the palace safely with no further ambushes or losing our way. Neji did the navigating. In case you were wondering, Gai and Lee were STILL walking on their hands... 

"Welcome home Tatsuya!" A middle aged, dark haired man was standing at the main gate. Who the hell? Is that the daimyo?

"It's been awhile brother." Brother?!? I thought this guy was his father. Just how many sons did this daimyo have anyway, if the daimyo's son was about 40... I pictured a 60 year old man and his wife surrounded by at least 10 children. They must have been busy, really busy.

"Why are you so late? You were supposed to arrive yesterday."

"It's my fault," a voice spoke up. All attention was turned to Lee.

"Who are you?"

"He's one of the ninjas from Konoha. The four of them did a wonderful job in protecting me." the younger Ishida explained and the older one raised an eyebrow.

"I see, " he lowered his voice but I could still hear what he was saying. "Why are they walking on their hands? Did you punish them for delaying you?"

"Of course not. They decided to do so on their own." Ishida's brother addressed my team and I.

"I'm sure you're tired from your journey. Would you like to rest before starting your journey home?"

Gai spoke up. "No, we're very eager to get home. Hokage-sama wants a full report about the mission asap."

Ishida's brother sighed audibly, probably in relief. "Then I suppose you should be going."

Gai managed to salute them (how did he support his weight with only one hand?) before beginning to leave. Lee followed suit. Neji nodded and turned to leave. I bowed and followed them.

* * *

Our return journey took longer since Lee and Gai were adamant about fufilling their "punishment". 

"Oh for crying out loud, can't you just run normally? At this rate, we'll get home sometime next year!" All the bottled up frustration at Ishida, my own stupidity, and lack of sleep had finally found an outlet to realease itself: Lee and Gai.

"But Tenten-san, I made a promise, therefore I must uphold it. Youth shall prevail!"

"It was a stupid one. I didn't tell you not to move!"

"You did actually." I glared at Neji, who blinked.

"But Tenten-" Gai started.

"Run normally or I'll throw so many kunai at you that you'll look like a porcupine!" They obliged, even Gai didn't have anything to say.

We got home in 15 minutes.

"I'm going home." Gai nodded, not daring to speak. Am I that scary when I'm mad?

Feather bed, here I come.

* * *

Author's Note: 

Hi, sorry for the late update. I hate school. Anyway, I have edited every chapter to remove as many one-liners as possible. According to my english teacher/lawyer/mom, New speaker new sentence, same speaker same paragraph. My idiot school teacher from several years back only mentioned the first part. Maybe it's her fault that I didn't do as well as expected for my exam. Hmm...

The whole chapter is about how they completed the mission. My sis suggested just saying "They escorted Ishida and went back to Konoha" But that wouldn't be fun. I enjoyed upsetting Ishida by making him see Lee and Gai act "gay". He deserves it.

Thanks toYumizuki for her comments, they really helped me to work on this chappie. Beta read by Midnight Memories.


	8. Neji's Special Birthday

Disclaimer: Don't own it, probably never will.

* * *

July the third was supposed to be an ordinary day, or as ordinary as it could get. Training, listening to rants on youth and imaginary sunsets, more training and possibly a D-rank mission. Oh joy. I should have realized that something was amiss when Gai gave us a day off training. But I didn't. So on that fateful day, I was rudely awoken at the crack of dawn by not one, but two green weirdoes... 

I was sleeping in my warm bed with my comforter wrapped around me. Pure bliss. Especially after weeks of waking up at unearthly times and sleeping on hard surfaces.

Suddenly, I heard tapping on my newly reinforced window. I pulled my blanket over my head and tried to ignore the noise. Maybe it would disappear.

It didn't. It got louder.

"Will you stop already, whoever you are?" Annoyed, I sat up and glared at the window. A thick eye-browed, bowl cut haired green person was outside my window, rapping on it hurriedly.

"Lee! What on earth are you doing here? It's the middle of the night!"

"It's dawn, Tenten-san."

"So? Leave me alone."

"But you have to get up, if not we can't surprise Neji when he wakes up!"

"What? Who?"

"I said, get up so that we can surprise Neji."

"For what? In the first place, Neji can't and never will be surprised, so go away." I started to lie back down on my bed, but Lee wouldn't have it.

"It's Neji's birthday! Gai-sensei gave us today off so that we could celebrate Neji's youth! He says that if you do not follow us he will-"

"I'm up already." I got out of bed since I knew what Lee was going to say next. "Where's Gai-sensei?"

"He's downstairs, nursing his foot." Tried to break my window again? Dream on. Do you have any idea how much this special glass cost?

I got changed and went downstairs to meet Lee and Gai.

"Oww… Good morning my ever youthful student. What did you do to your window? I nearly broke my foot." Ha! Serves you right for disturbing my sleep.

"Gai-sensei, what's the plan?" Lee asked, ignoring the question Gai directed at me.

"We shall go to Neji's house to surprise him and wish him a happy birthday when he awakens. Then we shall celebrate his eternal youth together. Now, on to Neji's house!"

"Yes! Gai-sensei!" Lee and Gai marched proudly towards the Hyuga estate while I trudged behind. Oh boy, Neji's going to be surprised and I don't mean that in a good way.

* * *

When we arrived, I was once again amazed by the sheer size of the place. It was as big as or maybe bigger than Ishida's palace. Majority of the buildings were white. The main entrance had the word "Hyuga" in large ornate script. Wow. I had been here before but I was too preoccupied to notice the architecture 

"Neji must be really rich," Lee stated, gaping in awe. Gai walked to the gate and knocked. A man with long black hair, pupil-less eyes and a stern look on his face opened the gate a fraction.

"Who are you? State your purpose."

"I am Maito Gai, Neji's Jounin supervisor. These are my students, Lee and Tenten. We are here to visit Neji."

"I see. He didn't say he was expecting any visitors." The man opened the gate just wide enough for all of us to squeeze through.

"He's still sleeping so do you mind waiting until he wakes up?"

"Not at all," Gai said and gave the man a nice guy pose. The poor man looked slightly shocked, but he didn't say anything and left. Presumably to go back to sleep like a normal person.

We waited for an hour or so before Lee started fidgeting.

"Gai-sensei, can we just wake Neji up already?"

"I agree! He has slept long enough." Unlike me.

"I don't think-" I started but Gai cut me off.

"Let us find Neji's room!"

"Yes! If I can't find Neji, I shall search the whole world until I do!"

_(Hi, author here, sorry to disrupt your reading, but if you have Naruto OST 2 #10, It's the training, please listen to it, if not you can download it from here__** http://vincap.free.fr/OST2/. **__You don't have to listen to it, but it really adds to the effect.)_

Gai opened the first door he saw.

"Neji? Is that you?" he shouted. I could see from where I was standing. The long hair... maybe it was him.

"KYAAA!!!" Holy crap. Neji screams like a girl. Wait, was that even Neji? The person in the bed sat up and grabbed the thing closest to him/her, a pillow, and hurled it at Gai. Gai dodged it by leaning backwards until his head nearly touched the ground. He proceeded to slam the door shut before announcing that it wasn't Neji.

Gai and Lee started running around randomly, opening as many doors as they could find. I wisely stayed out of their stupidity. Some snored in response, others screamed, the women shrieked and threw things at them which they both dodged. After causing enough mayhem and chaos to satisfy themselves, they still hadn't found Neji.

_(Me again, you can turn it off now...)_

* * *

"Where is Neji?" Gai questioned, panting. 

"I haven't found him yet." Lee said, picking up a large rock and looking underneath it. Please, like he'll be there. I would like to be though, many of the Hyugas had woken up and were looking quite irritated, as irritated as a Hyuga can look, also known as glaring at us. How embarrassing.

A man who looked like Neji approached us. Then again, most Hyuga men looked alike: long brown hair and freaky eyes.

"Can I help you?"

"We're looking for Neji. Do you know where he is?"

"You're in the wrong part of the estate." He showed us to another part of the Hyuga complex.

"Great! Now let's get Neji!" Lee started to run but before he could get very far, I caught him by his almost non-existent collar.

"No we won't," I said before asking, "I'm sorry, could you please tell us where Neji's room is?" The man pointed to a door, gave Lee and Gai a final glare and left. Lee escaped my grasp and sprinted, together with Gai, towards the aforementioned door. They then burst into the room and screamed as loud as they could

**"HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEJI!!!!!"**

Neji sprung out of his bed, eyes wide. He got into his fighter's stance before getting a closer look at what woke him up. How did he even sleep through the racket Lee and Gai made?

"What are you doing here?"

"We're here to celebrate your birthday!" Gai said, giving him a grin.

"So you call invading my house and waking me and everyone else up celebrating my birthday?" Neji asked with raised eye brows. Lee grinned apologetically.

"No, we wanted to greet you when you woke up. Now we're going to celebrate your birthday for real!" Gai explained. Before he could say another word, Neji pushed them out of his room and slammed the door shut.

"I guess he's getting ready." Lee shrugged. My birthday had better not be like this...

* * *

Gai and Lee dragged Neji out of the Hyuga complex. It wasn't long before Neji put his foot down. 

"I. Am. Not. Celebrating. Anything." It sounded like a repeat of Youth Day.

"Neji, you will celebrate your birthday with us as a team or-"

"Fine I get it."

"Now what do we do?" I asked. I wanted to go back to sleep.

"First we shall have a hearty birthday breakfast!" Gai announced and hauled us to a restaurant.

When we were done, Gai insisted that everyone give Neji a present. Shit, I didn't get him anything.

"Neji, this is for you. May you have many more youthful years ahead of you." Gai presented Neji with a brightly wrapped gift box, complete with a large bow. Neji took it and unwrapped it.

"I hate green," Neji stated, holding up his present and examining it. Gai had given Neji a spandex bodysuit. It looked exactly the same as the one that he and Lee were wearing. Like anyone would want to wear it.

"I also got you this." He handed Neji a slip of paper. It was a voucher for a free hair cut at the local hairdresser.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

Gai grinned and replied, "You need to get your hair cut so that you can look just like me and Lee. This barber is excellent, look at what a wonderful job he did with Lee's hair and mine!"

"Me too! Me too! I got you orange leg-warmers and coloured contact lenses to that you'll look like me!" Neji was speechless. I would be. Now he had the perfect Halloween costume.

"Sorry Neji, I didn't know it was your birthday." It's true I didn't. Gai and Lee gasped and clapped their hands to their faces as though someone had said that the sun would no longer set.

"Tenten, I'm ashamed of you! How could you forget your own teammate's birthday?!?" Gai admonished while Lee was nodding in assent.

"I didn't forget! How can I forget something I don't even know?" I retorted.

"Neji! Since it's your birthday, you may punish her for not getting you a gift." Gai pointed dramatically at me. Neji shrugged.

"I don't really care. It's not even her fault." Gai was at a loss for words.

"As punishment, all of you are to spend the rest of the day together-"

"We're already doing that…" Neji pointed out.

"Aa...Uh..." our sensei stuttered, "Fine! I want you to know everything about each other by sundown."

"Everything?" I groaned.

"Yes!"

"If I cannot get to know my teammates, I will hit my head against a wall a hundred times. After that, I will get to know and make friends with everyone in Konoha!"

"That's the spirit, Lee!"

* * *

"And then, when I was six, I entered the Ninja Academy. My parents were so-" 

"Lee." Lee stopped in mid-rant to hear what Neji had to say. "Shut up."

"But Gai-sensei said-"

"I don't care what he said."

"But-"

"Neji, how do you want to celebrate your birthday?" I asked.

"I don't even want to-" I grabbed the end of Neji's hair and pulled him down to my height.

"What the hell was that for?"

"Listen; in order to get out of this, you have to play along." I let go of his hair and Neji stood up straight.

"Gai-sensei, why don't we go to the beach again. I'm sure that would be a wonderful way to celebrate Neji's birthday. It's almost sunset, so you'll be able to celebrate Neji's youth to the fullest." Neji opened his mouth to protest but I elbowed him and he kept his mouth shut.

"What an excellent idea, Tenten. Why didn't I think of it before? Let's go!" Gai started heading towards the beach, Lee trailed behind like a puppy.

"Are you out of your mind? Why the beach?' the only other sane member of the team asked me.

"It's either this or listening to Lee's life story. And I couldn't think of anything else. Gai and Lee are so fond of sunsets and crashing waves that they'd definitely agree." Neji sighed and followed Gai's lead. I waited for them to get far enough before heading home. I wonder where that book is...

* * *

"Where have you been?" 

"I went home to get something."

"I thought you were going to leave me here to go insane."

"Well, I hope you've kept your sanity because you might find this interesting." I opened the book to the folded page. "Read this."

"What is it?"

"Your fortune." Neji raised an eyebrow and started reading.

"I can't read Chinese."

"Oops. I forgot. I'll translate and explain. You see, we Chinese have our own little method of fortune telling. It's based on your date and time of birth. It says here that you were born into a noble, powerful family and that you're a prodigy. It... also says that you experienced a great loss at a young age and have conflicts within your family. But all these problems will be solved by the time you're 13. Hmm... Your future...It says that your choices will determine your future. One thing that's for certain is that you'll marry someone strong, smart and beautiful."

"Hn."

"Is it accurate? The past, I mean."

"I suppose... How reliable is this?"

"Quite. Everything that I read about me is true so far." I snapped the book shut. "Well, I hope that makes up for me not getting you a gift."

"At least you gave me something useful."

"Come on, look on the bright side. Now you can look just like Lee and Gai. I should have gotten you an eye-brow pencil instead," Neji glared, "I was just kidding..."

I sat down next to Neji on the sandy beach, while the others played tag with the waves.

"Isn't it nice?" The clouds were swirls of orange, red and pink and sound of the waves was so relaxing.

"Yeah."

"Happy birthday Neji," I said softly. He smiled slightly.

"Thank you."

* * *

Author's Note: 

Hi! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I figured you guys needed a bit of humor and fluff, since the last few chapters were slightly more serious, not to mention lacking in fluffiness.

I'll be revising the previous chapters (and possibly this one). If you have any requests for the next chapter, like what mission you'd like them to go on and such, please PM me or include it in a review.

Beta read by Midnight Memories.

Till next time!


	9. Gai's Sick Day: A New Sensei

Disclaimer: If I did own Naruto, Tenten and Neji would be the main characters.

* * *

"ATCHOOO!!!" The sound echoed throughout Konoha. Not long after, twittering birds could be heard. Obviously they were scared to bits, poor things. 

Meanwhile, the unfortunate people who were directly in front of the source of the sneeze covered their mouths and ears. Sadly, Lee, Neji and I only had two hands each. It was a tough choice, either we go deaf or catch Gai's cold.

"I'm terribly sorry," Gai sniffled, "it seems that I caught a cold the other day at the beach."

"It's not your fault Gai-sensei!" Lee said, pointing dramatically at me. What did I do? "It's Tenten's fault. She suggested going to the beach."

"So? You're the ones who wanted to play in the water," I retorted. Lee looked thoughtful for a minute.

"Gai-sensei! I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I was the one who suggested playing in the water." Lee cried, tears welling up in his large, round eyes.

"No Lee. It's mine. I should have known that I would have gotten sick!"

"Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Sensei!"

"Le-**ATCHOO**!"

Here we go again...

* * *

The next day, Team 8 met at the usual training spot in the forest. 

"Where's Gai-sensei?" Lee asked. "Is he late?"

"Probably still sick," Neji reasoned.

"I still think it's partially Tenten's fault. If she hadn't suggested going to the beach, I would never have thought of playing in the sea. If I never thought of that, I would not have suggested it to Gai. If I did not suggest it, Gai wouldn't have agreed to it and fallen sick!"

"Huh? Does it matter whose fault it is?" I asked, confused.

"YES IT DOES!" Lee screamed, punching the air before announcing "After training I shall look after Gai-sensei. If he does not get better by tomorrow, I will force feed him medicine until he does!"

"That will just make him more sick," Neji said.

"That's enough now," a new voice called out, the source stepping out of the bushes. It was that silver haired Jounin with the funny book, Gai's "rival". "Yo!" he waved at us. I think he was smiling, but I couldn't really tell. "I'm going to be your teacher for today. Sorry I'm late, I was training some turtles to be ninjas."

Silence filled the clearing. He's a horrible liar...

"Oh, I almost forgot. Gai told me to give you this," he held out a piece of paper which Lee grabbed. It said:

_My dear beloved ever-youthful students,_

_Since I am unwell, I have asked my eternal rival, Hatake Kakashi to fill in for me. Do not worry about me as my everlasting flame of youth will continue burning and I will get well soon._

_Your loving mentor,_

_Maito Gai _:)

* * *

"Would you please introduce yourselves, just your name will do." 

"My name is Rock Lee! My goal is to be as good a ninja as Gai-sensei!" Kakashi-sensei's lone eye looked at Lee as though studying him.

"I see..." He turned to Neji, "You're a Hyuga, aren't you?"

"Hyuga Neji."

"I'm Tenten."

"Right. You start training now, just try not to bother me too much. I'm going to catch up on some reading," he whipped out his orange book and started reading, giggling every now and then as we watched. Was this how all Jounins behaved? I hope not.

Lee walked up to our replacement sensei and tapped his shoulder. Kakashi-sensei looked up.

"Are you really Gai-sensei's eternal rival?"

"I guess so. It's a one-sided thing really," he explained briefly before looking back at his book. Lee wasn't done yet.

"But for Gai-sensei to acknowledge you as his rival, it means that you are as strong as Gai-sensei! Please teach me how to become a wonderful ninja!" Gai's mini-me knelt down in front of Kakashi-sensei and begged. "Please, please, please..."

Kakashi-sensei sighed and kept his book, gesturing for Neji and I to go to him.

"Very well. I want all of you to show me your abilities. If I deem you worthy, I shall teach you all a secret technique." Lee gasped, even Neji looked intrigued. "The objective is for one of you, any one of you, to score a hit on me." Kakashi explained. "Start!" The Kakashi-sensei in front of us disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned the area, "He's not within hearing range so here's the plan. We'll fight him, three against one." 

"YES! WE SHALL FIGHT HIM TOGETHER!" Lee shouted for the rest of the world to hear. Neji and I glared at him which made him shut up. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"New plan, Lee shall fight him first-"

"Why do I have to go first?" Lee whined.

"You're the one who spoilt the original plan." I snapped.

"Anyway," Neji continued, "based on your fight, I'll construct a plan. After you lose, Tenten and I will take over."

"Who says I'll lose?" Lee said indignantly.

"Me. Now go, he's 80 metres south of our current location." Lee saluted and ran off to find the target.

"Now what do we do?" I asked, preparing my scrolls.

"We'll hide in the trees and observe. On my signal, we'll..." Neji proceeded to explain the basic plan. I smirked. This was going to be interesting...

* * *

_**Lee's POV:**_

Where is he? He should be around here somewhere. I continued my search, following the coordinates Neji gave me. It's not fair that he has a cool bloodline limit, but that doesn't matter! The flame of youth and training will help me to become a wonderful ninja! Gai-sensei, I will not let you down!!!

As I was running, I saw a squirrel that was being attacked by a larger one. I scared the big bully off and picked up the smaller squirrel.

"There, he's gone now. By the way, have you seen a tall silver-haired man?" The little guy started chittering and jumped out of my hand. He bit onto my suit leg and started running, pulling me along.

"Very well friend squirrel, I shall follow your wisdom!"

* * *

_**Normal POV/Tenten's POV:**_

"What is he doing now?" I asked. Neji and I were following Lee discreetly. Near enough so that Lee was within Byakugan's range, but far enough so that when Kakashi-sensei found him we wouldn't be found as well.

"He's following a squirrel..." Neji said, raising an eyebrow. I always knew Lee was weird, just not that weird...

* * *

_**Lee's POV:**_

As I was following my new friend, I was thinking of as many ways to beat Kakashi-sensei so that I could prove Neji wrong and make Gai-sensei proud. Since I can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, I can only use taijutsu and weapons. Taijutsu is my strongest point, weapons being Tenten's. After thinking for a while, a bright idea hit me. Gai-sensei, If only you could see me now!

Suddenly, the squirrel stopped and let go of me. After pointing at a tree it squeaked and left. Good-bye friend squirrel, see you again next time! I approached the tree and kicked it as hard as I could. Kakashi-sensei fell out of it and landed in front of me, holding his book.

"So, you found me."

"No I didn't. My squirrel pal told me where you were."

"..." Kakashi-sensei sighed. "Why me?"

* * *

_**Normal POV/Tenten's POV:**_

"Found him," Neji stopped running, careful not to make any other noises. I nodded and halted. Both of us hid out presence and stayed up in the trees to watch and wait.

Lee got into what I figured was a battle pose and waited for Kakashi-sensei to put down his book.

"Why aren't you attacking?" he asked, not taking his eyes off his book.

"You're reading, it would be rude to attack someone who is distracted," Lee replied.

"Just attack, I'll fight and read and the same time." Lee gasped. "Before we start, do you mind helping me get that shuriken over there?" He pointed to a shuriken that was lying under a tree. Lee obliged. The second he stepped near it, a rope caught him by his ankle and he was suspended, upside-down.

"Gai-sensei! I have failed you!"

I had expected him to lose, but to lose without even fighting...

"The two of you up there, aren't you going to come down?" Neji nodded and both of us jumped down from our hiding place. "Well, start. I hope you two aren't as gullible as your teammate over there."

Neji rushed forward and engaged him in hand-to hand combat. Kakashi-sensei was still reading his book. I gritted my teeth in anger, we were being underestimated. Neji did his Kaiten and Kakashi sensei was knocked backwards, but he soon regained his balance.

"It looks like you're better than I thought," he kept his orange book and got into a stance. My turn. Summoning all my weapons, I threw them at Kakashi sensei. All of them hit.

"What?" A Jounin couldn't dodge that? Kakashi-sensei poofed and turned into a log.

"Kawarimi," Neji muttered as he ran towards me. We stood back to back and covered each other.

"Where is he?"

"He's-"

"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu"

Neji was cut off when a hand appeared out of the ground and grasped Neji's leg, pulling him downwards. Before I could react, Neji's body was stuck underground, only his head was visible. Kakashi-sensei appeared about half a metre away from Neji.

Great, now I had to face him alone. There was no way I could beat him without Neji. I reached into my holster and pulled out a shuriken, throwing it at the rope suspending Lee. He screamed on his way down and landed with a thud. I threw a second shuriken to cut the rope around his ankle.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have believed him," Lee moaned. Glad you know.

"Never mind. You distract him while I free Neji." Lee tried to fight him, but he was defeated almost instantly.

"Do you give up?" he asked Neji, who was still stuck.

"Yes," he admitted.

* * *

"Do you know why you lost?" We shook our heads, waiting for him to continue. "It was because you didn't use teamwork." 

"We did," Neji said bluntly.

"You and the girl maybe, but you almost completely ignored your other teammate. First, you send him to face me alone. Next, when he was trapped, none of you did anything to help. Only at the last minute when you were caught, Tenten freed him because she couldn't face me alone." Neji frowned at his words.

"But we don't even know much about Lee's techniques. How can we cooperate?" I said, trying to defend Neji.

"It's my fault, I should have been stronger," Lee sighed dejectedly.

"It's not only your fault," Kakashi-sensei said. "100 laps. After which you will spar so that you will be more familiar with each other's techniques."

* * *

After completing our task, we began sparring. Kakashi-sensei was absorbed in his book. 

"Who fights who?" I asked.

"Since Tenten and I train and spar frequently-"

"Neji-kun, do you mind fighting me?" Lee asked, getting into a battle stance. Neji agreed and the fight began.

It wasn't long before Lee got his butt kicked.

"You are very strong, Neji-kun." Lee panted as he lay on the ground."You truly are worthy of being my eternal rival." Neji merely shrugged.

"Since Lee is in no condition to fight, Neji wins." Kakashi-sensei announced, "Lee, you use a lot of basic taijutsu. You should work on increasing your speed and strength. Tenten, judging from your fight earlier, you have to work on your summoning speed. Hyuga..." Kakashi-sensei looked thoughtful, "I don't know anything about Hyuga techniques, but you should learn more of them. All of you have to learn how to cooperate with each other." He snapped his book shut. "That's it for today." He was about to leave when Nej spoke up.

"I hit you earlier."

"You did?"

"With my Kaiten." Kakashi was silent for a minute.

"Very well. Come here. This is a secret technique known only to elite ninja." All of us stared expectantly at him, waiting to see this awesome jutsu. Was it ninjutsu or genjutsu? Anyhow, it should be good.

"Watch closely, the three of you," he instructed, forming hand seals. The first was unfamiliar to me then Goat, Ox and the last seal. "Ready?" The three of us gulped.

"The bridge!" he announced, in his hands was a piece of string forming the shape of a bridge.

Thump! All three of us fainted. Yes, even Neji.

* * *

The following day's training... 

"ATCHOOO!!!" The combined sneeze was loud enough to cause an earthquake.

"It seems that all of you have caught my cold," Gai pointed out.

"It's your fault! If you hadn't been so insistent on going to Gai'-sensei's apartment, we wouldn't have fallen sick!" I screamed at Lee. As loud as one can scream with a sore throat.

"No, it's your fault Gai-sensei fell sick in the first place," Lee retorted, coughing slightly.

"It's all your faults except mine," Neji said before blowing his nose.

"NO!" Gai shouted, "It's Neji's fault! It was because we were celebrating his birthday that I fell sick."

"I never wanted to celebrate my birthday to begin with," Neji said.

"So it's Gai's fault for making us celebrate it in the first place," I announced as Neji nodded in agreement.

"It's all our faults," Lee sighed dejectedly.

"Except mine," Neji added. I groaned in exasperation. Suddenly my nose started twitching and from the looks of it, Neji and Lee's were too.

"_Ah…"_

"_AH…"_

"_**AH…"**_

**"ATCHOOOO!!!"**

* * *

Author's Note: 

The promised chapter. lolx. I got the ending from this comic I saw and I know that what Kakashi did was similar to what he did to Team 7, but he couldn't use chidori on them could he? By the way, I posted a oneshot yesterday. You can check it out later.

Edited: Added an alternative ending. Got the idea coz my bro was/is sick and he passed it on to me. It sucks to be ill...

After this I still have to finish my tution homework. Harry Potter is out today. After I'm finished with my evil homework I shall steal it from my sister. Mwhahaha. : p

Beta read my Midnight Memories.


	10. Hyuga Secrets

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Once everyone had fully recovered from our colds, we resumed training. As usual, this meant training alone with Neji while Lee and Gai did whatever they wanted, not that either of us minded. I've had enough of their craziness to last a lifetime.

* * *

One Friday, our day off, I was training by myself and was bored to tears. So I decided to pay a visit to Neji and ask him to train with me.

Even though I had seen the Hyuga complex before, its size never ceases to amaze me. I was about to open the gate when a short, blue haired girl rushed out and bumped into me.

"Oh dear, I-I'm so s-sorry," the girl said lowering her head and blushing.

"It's not your fault. It was an accident," I said. The girl raised her head to take a peek at me before hurriedly returning to her original position. I noticed that her eyes were the exact same pearly shade as Neji's.

"A...ano...who are you?" she asked shyly, twiddling her fingers.

"I'm Tenten, Neji's teammate."

"N-Neji-nii-san's teammate?"

"Yeah. Is he at home?"

"H-hai," she replied, opening the gate for me to enter. "I-I'll show you w-where he is..."

"What's your name?"

"H-Hyuga Hi-Hinata," she answered. "I'm Neji-nii-san's cousin."

"Pleased to meet you Hinata-san."

"J-just Hinata will d-do..." she stuttered softly. I grinned.

"Nice to meet you, Hinata-chan. You can call me Tenten."

My new accquaintance and I entered the Hyuga estate. I could vaguely remember the location of Neji's room, but all the buildings looked almost the same so I couldn't be sure which one was Neji's.

"Hinata-sama?" Neji's cool voice rang out, scaring the wits out of Hinata-chan. She literally jumped and muttered a soft greeting. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Academy?" Hinata gasped softly and bid Neji and I good-bye before running frantically towards the gate, stumbling every now and then. I giggled.

"Your cousin is a very interesting person," I quipped.

"Aa..."

"Neji." A man with obvious authority approached us. "Who is this?"

"This is my teammate, Hiashi-sama," Neji replied, his tone of politeness sounding strained and forced. "We were just leaving to train."

"I see," Hiashi said. Then he turned and left.

"Who was that?" I asked curiously.

"My uncle, Hiashi-sama, is the patriach of the Hyuga clan. Hinata-sama is the heiress and older sister to Hanabi-sama."

"You have one confusing family," I joked. Neji shot me a look before sighing and starting to leave.

"Let's go." When we exited, the imposing atmosphere vanished. I felt relieved while Neji actually looked happy to leave.

* * *

Several hours later... 

"Neji, can we go now?" I asked, bored of throwing kunai randomly.

"One more," he replied, panting slightly. Even though he had already completed it, Neji still made it a point to practice his Kaiten. My summoning was improving in terms of both speed and accuracy. Lee? Who knows...

Once Neji was finished, we decided to go for lunch before coming back to spar.

"What do you think Lee and Gai are doing?" I questionned, slurping down my noodles.

"Ranting about youth?" he suggested.

"I meant in terms of training."

"Taijutsu," Neji confirmed my thoughts, taking a small bite out of his onigiri.

"Is it really true that we don't have enough teamwork?" Kakashi-sensei's words had been bugging me for a while now. It was true that Lee was stranger than most and Gai was more than just a bit biased towards him, but was it right to let that affect the team dynamics?

Neji thought for a moment before answering, "We'll just have to work on that." We continued to eat in silence, enjoying the occasional cool breeze that relieved us of the sweltering weather.

"There's something on your face." I brushed a grain of rice off Neji's cheek. His skin was surprisingly soft and smooth.

"Thanks," he replied, his pale skin looked redder than usual. Maybe it was the heat...

"Anytime."

* * *

When we were finally finished eating, we went back to our training ground and started our spar. Neji made the first move by throwing a kunai. I dodged and, instead of attacking directly, jumped into the trees while trying to come up with a plan. I had forgotten one tiny little detail. 

"Byakugan!" No way I was going to be able to ambush him now. Time to do things the old-fashioned way.

Leaping from my branch, I summoned as many kunai and shuriken as possible, throwing every single one at him. They were all deflected by his Kaiten. Landing and quickly dashing towards Neji just as he stopped spinning, I aimed a kick at his chest. He caught my leg and used it as leverage to flip himself over me and land behind me. I whipped my head around just in time to duck a punch. Both of us jumped backwards and drew kunai from our holsters, preparing to strike.

Simultaneously, we charged at each other. Kunai was parried by kunai as my foot was parried by his hand. I moved the fingers of the hand that was free, making one of the shuriken that was on the ground fly towards Neji. Unfortunately, I wasn't that good at controlling my weapons with the chakra strings yet, so what was supposed to be heading for his arm was heading straight for the base of his neck. I tried to stop it, but it was too late.

"Neji, look out!" I screamed. Neji turned his head in the nick of time and instead of impaling him, the shuriken snagged a part of his forehead protector and pinned it onto the bark of a tree. The bandages around his head had gotten sliced in half and were now scattered all over the ground.

"Neji! Are you hurt?" Millions of questions were racing through my mind, but I was only concerned about Neji's safety.

"I...I'm fine," he said, raising his gaze to meet my worried one.

"You're not, let me check to see if you're hurt."

"Really, I'm fine," Neji insisted stubbornly. A thin trail of blood was flowing down the side of his face, unobscured by the hand that was covering most of his forehead.

"You're bleeding..." Neji still refused and tried to get his forehead protector, but I got it first. "Either you let me treat your wound or I won't return this." I said, clutching it tightly. Neji sat down on the forest floor but still didn't remove his hand from his forehead. The kunai had made a clean cut mere millimetres above his ear. It wasn't very large but it was clearly quite deep judging by the amount of blood that was oozing out.

"How am I supposed to bandage you with your hand in the way?" I asked, trying to get him to move his hand away. After much persuasion, Neji finally agreed. "Wha-what's that?" In the middle of Neji's forehead was a strange green symbol. I thought back and remembered that Neji had always kept his forehead covered, even during our Academy days. Now I knew why.

"It's nothing," he replied, head bent low. I decided not to pursue the matter since Neji looked so uncomfortable about it, but I made a mental note to ask him about it later...

* * *

Once I had finished bandaging his wound, I returned his forehead protector. There was a big hole in it so it was pretty much useless.

"Here, you can have mine." I undid the one around my head and handed it to him. He accepted it and winced slightly as he tied it over his bandages. Once he was done, I was unable to contain my outburst any longer. "Why didn't you dodge it? I thought that you had three hundred and sixty degree vision? Do you have any idea how worried I was? What if it had hit you?"

"I couldn't see it," Neji stated. I gaped in shock, unable to come up with a response. "The byakugan has a blind spot."

"But...but why didn't you tell me earlier? What if we were on a mission and I was a real enemy? You could have been killed!" I cried. Neji didn't say anything to that. "Neji, if you had such a blindspot you should have told me so that I can cover for you during missions."

"Hn."

"Can't you say something other than that?!" I nearly screamed. Clenching my fists while trying to control my temper, I continued, "I just want to help you. That's what teammates are for." Neji remained silent. "If you were hurt because of me, I would never forgive myself. You're my teammate Neji, we're supposed to look out for each other."

"I know. I'm sorry, I should have told you."

"You're not saying that just to shut me up are you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

"I mean it," Neji said, his expression serious. Then again, he was always serious...

"Look Neji, what I'm trying to say is...if you ever have any problems, I want you to know that I'll always be here for you and that I'll do my best to help in whatever way I can."

"You've already done a lot for me."

"No I haven't. It's always been you teaching me and saving me. All I've done is spar with you once in awhile and now I've hurt you!" I insisted. All my pent up frustration at myself and my lack of skill burst out in that one instant. "If I were stronger, this wouldn't have happened." Neji walked towards me.

"It's not your fault and you're one of the strongest people I know, so stop blaming yourself."

I couldn't control it any longer. Throwing my arms around Neji's neck, I buried my face in his shirt. "I'm sorry...I'm so so sorry," I murmured between small sobs. Neji awkwardly patted me on the back and leaned slightly into my embrace.

"It's ok..." I could feel Neji's warm hands on my shoulders and smell the faint scent of oak and cinnamon as he comforted me. Only the chirping of birds broke the wall silence between us.

* * *

"Err...sorry I wet your shirt," I said when I had calmed down sufficiently. 

"It's fine."

"Does it hurt?"

"No." I tapped the middle of his forehead lightly and he hissed in pain.

"You don't have to lie just to make me feel better."

"Hn."

I was itching to ask him about the symbol on his forehead, but decided not to. I probably wasn't supposed to have found out about it, especially since he had taken so much effort to keep it hidden. Maybe it would be better if I didn't know...

"What's wrong?" Neji's voice interrupted my musings.

"Nothing."

"It's about the thing on my forehead right?" How did he know? I gazed at him in shock and he took it as an indication to continue."I'm not sure how or whether it may affect us in future so it's best that you know. Just don't tell anyone else." I nodded.

"Within the Hyuga clan there are two sub-clans, the main house and the branch house. Hiashi-sama, being the patriach, is in the main house along with Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama. My...my father was Hiashi-sama's twin, his younger brother and ,therefore, of the branch house with me. The branch house members have this seal in order to protect the main house and to prevent the branch house from going against the main house. Activation causes severe pain and destruction of the nervous system, resulting in death."

I didn't know how to respond. A part of me was protesting against the unfairness and cruelty of such a system. On the other hand, I felt sorry for him.

"How could they do something like this? Does that mean that you might..." I couldn't bring myself to complete my sentence.

"I don't know." Neji looked more downcast then I had ever seem him. I had always envied Neji for being a member of a wealthly clan and owning such a powerful bloodline limit, but now I realized that things were not as simple as I thought.

"Neji, I shouldn't have asked you about something so private," I apologized again for reminding him about something so depressing. I had hurt him again, though this time emotionally. Neji's light lavender eyes met my chocolate brown ones.

"I don't think I mind as much as before. The burden feels somewhat lighter after sharing it with you. Thank you." He gave me one of his rare tiny smiles. One of the things I loved most was his smile. Neji's smile always gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling, it was as though seeing him happy made me happy too.

I grinned back. Maybe I was able to be of some help to him afterall...

* * *

Author's Note: 

Hi! Did you enjoy this chapter? It took me ages to think of how to phrase and describe everything nicely. I dunno if I made Tenten seem too Sakura-like or Neji OOC. I hope not. Anyway, there's the fluff I promised my sister.

Thanks to all who reviewed previous and current chapters. Just so you know, I'll probably update every Saturday unless I'm busy/have writer's block which I hope won't happen. (By the way, I found this uber cute comic about Deidara and artist's block. You can see it on deviantart. Just search for "Deidara Artist Block".)

Beta read by Midnight Memories.

That's all for today. Ja ne!


	11. Special Chapter: Rock Lee Saga

Disclaimer: Do I have to say it? Fine. I don't own it. Don't rub it in...

* * *

Tenten: Hi everyone! I hope you've been enjoying my little series so far. I presume you have since if you haven't, you wouldn't be reading this in the first place. Today, instead of me telling the story, we're going to have a special guest who is none other than Rock Lee! 

Tenten looks around the room.

Tenten: He's late...

Lee: DYNAMIC ENTRY!!!

Lee burst into the room via the window, freaking Tenten out.

Tenten: Mou! What was that for? Doors were built for a reason you know.

Lee rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Lee: Sorry Tenten-san.

Tenten: Lee, how do you feel about being given this honour?

Lee snatched the microphone out of Tenten's hands.

Lee: **I'M VERY HAPPY AND EXCITED!!!**

Tenten clapped her hands over her ears.

Tenten: You're too loud!

Lee: Sorry.

Tenten: Never mind. Anyway, back to business. Do you have any other comments?

Lee: I hope that this will help the readers to get to know me better as well as to ignite the everlasting flame of youth within them! Remember, hard work and youth is the key to everything, not just natural talent. That reminds me, where's Neji?

Tenten: He didn't want to go on this part of the chapter, wet blanket...

Lee: Tenten-san, I don't think it's fair that I get a special chapter and Neji doesn't.

Tenten: I don't think he really cares or even wants one...Oh well, we'd better get started on that chapter now.

Lee: Yes we should.

Long silence...

Tenten: Start already!

Lee: Oh! Right.

* * *

It was a glorious morning in the peaceful, youthful village of Konoha. The streets were filled with the hustle and bustle of the villagers along with the occasional peals of laughter from the youthful children. 

I, Konoha's most youthful and beautiful green beast, protege of Konoha's Prideful Green Beast, was getting ready to meet my beloved sensei for our daily 200 laps around the village. I was up before the sun rose to prepare, wanting to look my best so that I would not disappoint my mentor. After brushing my pearly whites with Colgate Simply White toothpaste, I took a shower.

Once I had cleansed my body with my favourite Johnson Kid's Hair and Body Wash, I towel dried my hair. I absolutely detest hairdriers as they really damage and remove the shine from my hair. Next, I started my ritual of 100 strokes of brushing and applying the extremely effective Neutrogena Triple Moisture Smooth Shine and Anti-Frizz Cream. You have to see it and feel it to believe it. I also use extra hold hair gel, given and recomended by Gai-sensei, to style my hair and to give it extra shine. This helps my hair to stay in place during training and to look as handsome and neat as my sensei.

After completing my daily routine, I opened my cupboard and took out one of the many identical outfits that I owned. Those spandex body-suits are simply amzing, it's so light and comfortable that it feels like you're not wearing anything at all. Of course, this magical effect has greatly facillated me during training and since Gai-sensei wears them, they must be the best. Finally I was finished. I could go meet my sensei! If I get there after the sun rises, I will run 300 extra laps. If I cannot do that...

* * *

When I arrived, I saw that Gai-sensei was already waiting for me. 

"Lee! You're late!" Gai-sensei punched me in the face sending me flying several metres and giving me a bloody nose.

"I'm so sorry Gai-sensei! It's all my fault! I shall run 500 extra laps, so 800 push-ups, and kick a log 300 times with double weights. No, triple!" I announced determinedly with tears in my eyes. Gai-sensei's self punishments worked very well although they were hard to do. I hope that all my hard work pays off someday...

"That's the spirit, Lee! Now onward! Let your youthfulness help you in your quest!!!" he pointed dramatically at the rising sun and began running

"Yes! Gai-sensei!" I replied, following suit.

As we were jogging, we were approaching the Academy. How I miss the good old days...

Once we reached the building, I spotted a familiar girl. Stopping in my tracks, I pulled Gai-sensei along and dove into the bushes.

"Ack! Lee, what's wrong?"

"Shhh..." I held my finger to my lips for emphasis and Gai-sensei kept quiet. I pushed aside the leaves and peered at the pink haired beauty. She's so cute! Her eyes are the exact same shade as an emerald and twice as gorgeous. Her long hair was glistening in the morning sun and swayed as she walked. Her mere presence paled everything else in comparison; I must have died and gone to heaven.

"Lee, that's your true love," Gai-sensei said, pointing at her. I nodded and felt my cheeks getting warmer.

"Hai."

"Do you know her name?"

"I-" I was cut off when a loud squeal was heard.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun!" Gaping in shock, I watched my angel skip towards a raven haired boy. What?!? Who is he!?!?! **How dare he take my love from me!?!?!?!**

"Hn," the boy grunted and tried to leave, but she grabbed his arm. Yanking it out of her grasp, he continued on his way.

"Wait!" my love called out, running after that boy.

"Lee?"

"Gai-sensei! I'm a failure! My beloved likes that boy from just now!" I cried, tears spilling out of my eyes. "What am I going to do?"

"Don't worry, Lee. You'll be able to dazzle her with your charm and youth! Now let us continue our training so that you can get stronger and impress her!"

"Yes!" I shouted, standing up abruptly, "If I cannot complete my previously mentioned punishments, I shall run a million laps around the world!"

"Yes! The springtime of youth will guide you to success! Let's go!

As we were climbing out of the bushes, I noticed some of the Academy students staring at us. They must have been admiring our wonderfully youthful youthfulness.

* * *

After two hours, we had completed our warm-ups successfully. We went to our usual training area that was somewhat near Neji-kun and Tenten-san's. I wonder why don't they train with us. I'm sure it would be fun for all of us to train together... 

"Lee, today I shall teach you a new technique!" Gai-sensei announced, giving me a nice guy pose complete with the "pinging" grin. Don't you love that sound? OH NO! His teeth are shinier than mine! That just means I have to brush them more often!

"Yes, Gai-sensei! I will finish learning this technique by the end of the day, if not I shall learn 350 other techniques within the week!"

"That's wonderful Lee!"

"Sensei," I cried, so touched by my sensei's words that I was crying.

"Lee."

"Sensei."

"Lee!" Gai-sensei pulled me into a hug.

"Sensei!" I cried hugging him back as tighly as possible. I could hear the crashing waves and see the sunset behind us. It's strange that that happens everytime Gai-sensei and I embrace lovingly. Was it just a coincidence or a funny jutsu? Oh well, it just adds to the effect...

_One hour later..._

"Gai-sensei, I don't think it's fair that only I get to learn this new technique," I said thoughtfully.

"Very well then. Shall we go and find Neji and Tenten in order to share with them this new, awesome technique?" Gai-sensei asked.

"Yes! We should." Both of us sprinted off to find Neji-kun and Tenten-san.

* * *

"Yosh! Everyone, please listen closely to what I have to say!" Gai-sensei screamed enthusiastically. Neji-kun was leaning against a tree trunk with his eyes closed. Shame on him for not listening to our sensei! Tenten-san was sitting on the ground twirling a kunai lazily. "I will be teaching everyone a technique called Primary Lotus!" My eyes widened and I whipped out my trusty notebook to write down Gai-sensei's every word. Tenten-san stopped her twirling and Neji-kun was looking directly at our sensei. 

"First all of you must scream 'First Gate open!'" I began writing but stopped when my mind absorbed what he said. Huh? Neji-kun sighed and Tenten-san slapped her forehead. She shouldn't do that, her forehead will hurt...

"I'm leaving," Neji said cutting off Gai-sensei's intructions and starting to walk away. "Tenten?"

"I'm coming," she called back and both of them disappeared.

Gai-sensei's jaw dropped as a cold wind blew in the background. "They just left...I'm a bad teacher," he wailed.

"No you're not! You taught me so many wonderful taijutsu skills and numerous life lessons," I said, trying to comfort him.

"Lee," Gai-sensei replied, wiping his eyes. "It doesn't matter whether Neji and Tenten are here or not. All that matters is that you are here and ready to learn. Now you shall learn this sacred technique!"

"Yes! Gai-sensei!"

* * *

"Now Lee, we shall practice the art of screaming "First Gate open!" That is the key to opening the first chakra gate which will in turn enable you to do the Primary Lotus." I jotted down his every setence right down to the punctuation marks. 

"I shall do my best," I stood up and began screaming as loudly as I could. "First Gate open!" Nothing happened. "Gai-sensei, it's not working."

"Just keep on trying Lee, I know you can do it." This filled me with new resolve and I tried again.

"First Gate open!" This shout was louder than the first and scared some squirrels in the nearby trees. I'll apologize to them later.

"Gai-sensei, please show me an example of how to do it. I still do not understand."

"Very well." Gai-sensei stood in the middle of the field and-

* * *

Tenten: Hi I'm back! Did you miss me? 

Lee: I know they missed me! (Insert nice guy pose)

Tenten: You've been here the whole time! Neji and I only get a short appearance.

Lee: But you and him are the main characters. I on the other hand am not...WAAAHHHH I'm not a main character!

Tenten sweat drops... : You only noticed now?

Neji: What's he crying about now?

Tenten: Why are you here, what happened to this being a 'troublesome waste of time' ?

Neji: It still is. Can we train now?

Tenten: We have to stop Lee first, he'll make everyone in Konoha go deaf.

Neji walks up to Lee and glares at him. Lee's crying gradually becomes a small whimper.

Tenten: Wow.

Neji smirks.

Neji: Now can we leave?

Tenten: Fine.Lee, you have to finish this chapter yourself ok? I'm leaving to train.

Lee: Bye! The two of you must train hard and not disappoint Gai-sensei! Especially you, Neji-kun, my eternal rival! Now let's continue with the chapter.

* * *

"First Gate Open!" Gai-sensei shouted. I gazed at him expectantly, but to my greatest shock, nothing happened. 

"Gai-sensei, I still don't understand.Why is nothing happening?"

"Watch, Lee." Gai-sensei walked towards a large boulder and punched it. The rock started cracking and was eventually reduced to rubble.

"WOW! GAI-SENSEI THAT WAS AWESOME!"

"Lee, now you try it."

"First gate open!" I walked up to a similar rock and punched it.

"OW!" I screamed, nursing my injured hand which was throbbing painfully. "Gai-sensei, why doesn't it work?"

"Lee, let me explain. The eight chakra gates are eight specific points on a person's chakra circulatory system. They limit the overall flow of chakra within a person's body. The basis for the idea of the chakra gates comes from the body's limits on the functions within it. This makes the body much weaker, but it keeps the body from expiring too soon. By opening these gates, the user can surpass their own physical limits at the cost of extreme damage to their own bodies." I was madly scribbling down each word. "The first gate releases the brain's limit on the total strain on the muscles, giving the user five times their normal strength and speed. In order to open the first gate, you have to concentrate chakra at the place which the gate is located and realease that chakra."

"But Gai-sensei, I can't mold chakra." Gai-sensei's jaw dropped.

"OH KAMI! I completely forgot," Gai sensei's face paled and his eyes grew so wide they were bulging out of his face.

"Does that mean I won't be able to learn it?" I sighed, feeling extremely depressed. This technique sounded so powerful, yet I was once again hindered by my own incompetence. At this rate, I would never beat Neji-kun and become a wonderful ninja.

"No, Lee. If you improve your physical and mental strength, I'm sure you'll be able to open the gates through the strength of your will power and youthfulness." Gai-sensei gave me his nice guy pose. "It's a promise, I will make sure that you will learn the Primary Lotus successfully even if I die trying."

"Thank you very much, Gai-sensei!" I cried tearfully.

"Now, Lee, let us head for the everlasting sunset of blazing youth!" Gai-sensei pointed to the fiery sun that was just on the horizon.

"Yes! Gai-sensei!" The two of us started sprinting towards the youthful sunset. I will continue working as hard as I can to defeat my eternal rival! Just you wait, Neji-kun. I will beat you someday and prove my skill and youth to you and everyone else. I will definitely become an excellent ninja!

* * *

Lee: So what do you think? You've finally heard my side of the story. 

Tenten: Hi, I've finished training.

Lee: Tenten-san, how was it?

Tenten: Hard, Neji's getting stronger by the day.

Lee gasps: That means I have to continue my training so that I can keep up with Neji! Once this chapter is over, I will do 1000 sit-ups and then I will run 350 laps. If I cannot do that I will brush my hair 300 times. After that I will read 500 scrolls on taijutsu. If I cannot do that I will not go to sleep!

Tenten: Errr... Right, Lee this chapter is pretty much over so can you-

Lee: It's over? Time to start my training! Youthful dash!

Lee ran off in a cloud of dust.

Tenten: Lee! Come back here! You're supposed to end off the chapter!!!!... He's gone. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed this special chapter. Ja ne!

* * *

Yo! I'm so sorry that this chapter was late. I had tonnes of work to finish. History project, Literature exam and what not. Anyway, now that that's done I can finally update. Yay! 

Well I figured that since this was going to be late, I'd make it up to you by writing a special chapter. I hope Lee isn't OOC, then again anything abnormal would be normal for him. The beauty products mentioned in the beginning of the chapter are REAL. I did a lot of research before selecting them. Thanks to wikipedia for the info on the eight gates.

I'm gonna go write the next chapter now. It will be a regular one in case you were wondering.

Beta read by Midnight Memories.

Bye bye.


	12. Konoha Founding Festival

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Tenten's POV again.

* * *

9th of August. Konoha was founded on this day eighty years ago. Every year, a festival would be held in commeration of the event. The entire village was involved in the affair and it was one of the main highlights of the year. I used to enjoy the festival since there was no school for several days and I could stay up late to watch the fireworks on the day of the festival. 

This year was no different, but instead of a break from school, Gai-sensei gaves us three days off from training. Before this, we were given many D-rank missions in preparation for the festival. Majority of them included: escorting foreginers who wanted to attend, buying and picking up various items for the villagers who were going to run stalls, decorating the village... Lee was particularly excited about the last one and practically mummified the Hokage tower with streamers and every decoration known to mankind. Guess who had to clean up his mess...

Naturally, I was looking forward to this well-deserved break...

* * *

On the day of the festival itself, I woke up early to help the neighbours, a nice elderly couple, with their stall. They were going to run a stall where one could catch goldfish with paper nets and water balloons with hooks. I used to patronize their stall almost every year, but I never actually caught a fish. I had millions of water balloons though. 

"Ohayo, Hanako-baa-san!"

"Ohayo, Tenten-chan!"

"Where's Masaru-ji-san?"

"He's in the back getting the water tanks."

"I'll go help him." The Sanadas run a store selling ornamental fishes. When I was younger I loved to go to the store and watch the fishes swim around. They looked so cute! My favourite were the guppies, with their dispoportionately large colourful tails, and goldfish, even though I got annoyed at them for being so quick to escape my net despite their dazed expression and fat round body.

"Masaru-ji-san?"

"Ah Tenten-chan. I'm over here." I walked into the storeroom, making sure that I didn't break or step on anything.

"Do you need any help?" I asked, hopping over a fishbowl.

"Would you mind helping me carry out the tanks? I would do it myself, but my back isn't what it once was. Sorry to trouble you."

"Sure. It's no trouble at all." I lifted the tank and started trudging out of the shop. It was so heavy, no wonder he couldn't carry it. As I was struggling with the tank, I failed to notice a puddle of water in front of me so I stepped right into it, slipped, and lost hold of the tank. I landed on my behind and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the shatter of the glass.

It never came. I opened my eyes just a fraction and saw that someone had caught the tank.

"Are you alright?" It was a soothing, melodious, unfamiliar voice. I raised my head to see the face of my saviour. He was taller than me by about a head and a lean yet muscular body. His messy light blonde hair that framed his handsome face. His eyes were a light grey colour; if it were just a few shades lighter, it would look just like byakugan. He placed the tank on the ground and offered his hand. I took it and he helped me up.

"I'm alright," I replied, trying not to lose myself in his eyes.

He smiled gently and lifted the tank without much difficulty, "That's good."

"Let me help." I tried to hold the opposite side of the tank but he refused.

"How can I let a lady do something like this?" I blushed and followed him out of the shop.

"Ten- Akira-kun! What are you doing here? I thought you were with you parents in Kumogakure?" It was only then did I notice the insigna on his forehead protector. He really was a Kumogakure shinobi.

"I'm just completed a mission and I figured since I was in the area I'd come visit you and jii-san."

"You've really grown. It's been two years since I last saw you on your twelfth birthday," Hanako-baa-san hugged Sanada-san warmly. "Tenten-chan, this is my grandson, Akira."

"Pleased to meet you," I said, nodding in his direction.

"The pleasure is all mine, Tenten-san."

"Just Tenten will do."

"Very well Tenten-chan, you can call me Akira," he flashed me a charming grin.

"Hai, Akira-kun."

* * *

After I finished helping the neighbours, with Akira-kun's help, I went back home to get ready for the festival. It had already started so I had to hurry. I threw on my clothes, put my hair up and strapped a holster onto my thigh, just in case, before going off to enjoy the festival. 

The villagers had really outdone themselves this year. Every nook and cranny of the village was decorated in one way or another. There were at least double the number of stores and stalls as compared to the year before. Delicious smells wafted towards me from every direction and the stallholders were shouting for people to go patronize their stalls. All the villagers, even the ninja, were in a festive mood.

As I was walking down the crowded street...

"Tenten-san!" I spun on my heel and came face to face with Lee. Instead of the traditional yukata, he was still wearing his trademark spandex body suit which earned him more curious looks than usual. "Come here and prove your youth with Gai-sensei and I!" Lee lead me to one of the stalls.

"Aha! Tenten! You have impeccable aim am I right?" Gai-sensei asked. I didn't even have a chance to reply before a small ball was pressed into my hands. "My youthful student here has the best aim in all of Konoha. If she throws it and the ball fails to enter the hole, it means that you have been deceiving these honorable villagers!" he cried, pointing dramatically at the stall holder who looked confused.

"Sir, just because you cannot throw well doesn't mean that it's my fault," the young man said coolly.

"Are you insulting my skill as a ninja?" Gai-sensei gasped. The man in question sighed and gestured for me to throw the ball so I did.

"We have a winner!" he screamed, turning the heads of everyone in earshot. Lee and Gai-sensei gasped and sighed, moaning about their lack of youth and how supposedly youthful I was. "What do you want for your prize?" he asked, pointing and the wide array of trinkets and toys. I picked a red fan which matched my outfit and left Lee and Gai alone before I had to prove the innocence of some other stall holder...

* * *

I continued my walk and was constantly met by familiar faces. I saw Ishida being followed by his entourage, Asuka and Makoto were stuffing their faces with every edible object in sight, Iruka-sensei was with this short yellow haired kid at Ichiraku. I even spotted Kakashi-sensei at the book store examining a small red book with a weird smile on his face. He was still wearing his mask so I couldn't really see him smiling, but you could tell from the expression in his eyes that he was happy. 

On my way I passed by the Hyuga estate. I haven't seen Neji the whole day. Isn't he going to the festival? I walked up to the gate and started pulling it open.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open by someone on the other side. If I weren't a ninja I would have been hit. A small girl of about seven stood in the doorway. She was wearing a plain lavender yukata and her long brown hair was down. Naturally, her eyes were a pupiless white and she had a serious expression on her face.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Tenten. Is Neji home?"

"Yes." She lead me into the estate which was as big as ever. It was peacefully quiet, unlike the rest of Konoha, and the only noise I could hear was the flowing water of the fountain by a small pond. "Wait here." The girl left, presumably to find Neji.

"T-Tenten-san?" A soft voice called out. I turned my head to find its source.

"Hinata-chan!" I walked towards the midnight haired girl. "Nice outfit." Hinata-chan had a powder blue yukata embroidered with flowers in a slightly darker shade. Her short hair was decorated with jewel encrusted clips.

"A-arigato," she murmured, blushing. "You look nice too."

"Thanks," I grinned.

"Where's tha- Hinata-nee-san." the girl from before greeted Hinata-chan who nodded in response. "Neji's still combing his hair, he'll be done soon."

"Thanks."

"Hanabi-chan, this is Tenten-san, Neji's teammate."

"I thought she was his girlfriend," she said innocently. Ha! Little girls should be seen, not heard.

"Who has a girlfriend?" Neji questioned, walking towards the three of us.

"No one," Hanabi replied smoothly, "Not yet anyway..." she added under her breath. Maybe I could get to like this kid, when pigs fly...

"Hinata-sama. Hanabi-sama," Neji nodded at his two cousins respectively before raising his head to look at me. "Tenten?"

"Yes?"

"Wo-I mean, you look...different," he said awkwardly.

"That bad?" I was wearing a short-sleeved crimson yukata with silver embriodery. My hair was in one bun instead of two and I used the chopsticks Ishida bought. Hey, just because I don't like the guy doesn't mean I can't use them.

"No, it looks...nice." I had to strain my ears to hear the last word. Hanabi nudged Hinata-chan and both of them giggled slightly. I blushed at the compliment and felt my stomach do a backflip. I suppose buying a new yukuta and changing my hairstyle was worth it afterall.

"T-thank you," I muttered. Great, now I sound like Hinata-chan. "Are you going to the festival?"

"For a short while. Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama have to be present along with Hiashi-sama when Hokage-sama makes his annual speech."

"Then let's go, you only have an hour left to have fun," I grabbed Hinata-chan's hand and the four of us left the Hyuga compound.

* * *

"So what do you want to do first?" 

"Hinata-sama?"

"L-let H-hanabi-chan decide," she stuttered.

"I'm hungry," the youngest of the group announced and we entered the nearest restaurant. I bought iced green-tea and used my new fan to relieve myself of the heat. Thank goodness I picked a sleeveless yukata. I can imagine how the rest of Konoha, especially the Hyugas, felt.

Hanabi was complaining incessantly about the lack of air-conditioning and Hinata-chan was looking extremely uncomfortable. Even Neji ,who had abandoned his jacket and shorts, was sweating profusely in his white yukata. I gave my fan to Hanabi to shut her up.

Once we had eaten, we walked around playing random games. Hanabi was being a brat, Hinata-chan was stuttering and blushing every other minute and Neji? I could go on for years...

The hour passed by quickly and soon I was bidding Hinata-chan and Hanabi farewell. That left me and Neji by ourselves. I stole a quick glance at him and our eyes met for a second before I looked away quickly. I was slightly embarassed and nervous at being alone with Neji. It wasn't that I haven't been alone with him before, but the situation was...different. It was almost like a...

"Do you come here every year?" Neji asked, breaking my train of thought. Not that I minded, I didn't like where it was going... Maybe I did, just a little. I nodded.

"I like the atmosphere, but the fireworks are the best. You?"

"I don't come often, but I watch the fireworks from the estate."

"Oh."

"Tenten-chan?" I saw Hanako-baa-san and Masaru-ji-san standing in front of two tanks filled with the usual balloons and fishes. Waving at them I approached the stall, careful not to knock into any of the children.

"Still as popular as ever," I commented as I watched the little children trying , mostly failing, to catch something. "Where's Akira-kun?"

"He left to get more fishes. He'll be back soon."

"Ok, I'll just wait here," I squatted down to help a small girl hook a balloon.

"Arigato, Nee-san!" The little girl skipped off, clutching her balloon.

"Nee-san, can you help me too?"

"Sure," I grinned. As I was helping the children, Akira-kun came back.

"Tenten-chan, if you keep helping them, we're going to run out of balloons," he chided gently. Grinning sheepishly, I handed a boy his blue balloon and stood up.

"Sorry. Neji, this is Sanada Akira. Akira-kun, this is Hyuga Neji," I introduced the two and they shook hands.

"I've heard much about your famous clan, Hyuga-san."

"Hn," Neji grunted. Neji's "Hn." has several definitions. The first meant "yes", the second meant "no", the third meant "whatever" and the fourth was Neji-speak for "shut up". I think this was the third. "You're from Kumogakure?"

"Yeah, just passed my chuunin exams."

"It's time for the Hokage to give his speech," I mused, glancing at the clock in front of the Sanada's shop.

"Let's go," Neji started walking towards the Hokage tower.

"Neji, wait for me!"

* * *

We stood in front of the now more tastefully decorated Hokage tower and waited for the Hokage to begin. I could vaguely see Hinata-chan's blue hair, out of place beside in the sea of brown and grey. I suppose her sister was beside her, along with her father. Hokage-sama walked to the front and addressed the whole village. 

"Eighty years ago, this hidden village was founded by our Shodaime Hokage and Nidaime Hokage. Their values and teaching have continued to guide us till this day. All of you carry Konoha's will of fire which burns within your very souls. Everyone, I would like to thank you all for making this village such a wonderful one. Without your efforts, Konoha would not be what it is today."

The spectators began clapping and cheering.

"That was short," I whispered to Neji who said his favorite word. This was obviously the first definition.

* * *

We continued on our way exploring almost the whole of Konoha. I had played tons of games and had won dozens of prizes. 

"Neji, can I go back to my apartment? I need to put these things down."

"Hn." I took it as a yes so we headed back to the street where my apartment was located.

"Tenten-chan, do you want to try catching a fish? Maybe you'll succeed this year," Masaru-ji-san said. I agreed and paid for three tries.

"Aww..." I moaned as the elusive fish escaped the net for the ninth time. I was about to take out more money but Neji beat me to it. He knelt down next to me and expertly scooped a fish into the net. "How did you do that?"

"I've caught Hanabi fish for years," Neji smirked. "Besides, if you continued, you'd be broke." He handed me a clear plastic bag with the goldfish in it. Hanako-baa-san gave me a bag containing a small round fish tank, fish food and air pump.

"Thanks, Neji," I said, admiring my new pet. Neji and I headed upstairs. I carried my fish and Neji helped me with the rest of the stuff. Neji helped me place everything in a cupboard and I made sure that fishy was happily settled in his new home.

* * *

By the time we were done, it was almost time for the fireworks. 

"I'm going home," Neji said and started walking in the direction of the Hyuga compound. "Coming?" I nodded and quickly followed him.

We raced there and jumped onto the rooftop just in time. The view was excellent, better than from my balcony. Everytime a firework was launched, I heard some of the younger Hyugas below us clapping and cheering. Maybe they're more normal than I thought...

The two of us were alone on the rooftop, surrounded by the multi-cloured showers. The bright light from each firework contrasted beautifully with the inky blackness of the sky, overshadowing the tiny stars that dotted it.

"Kirei," I breathed, completely mesmerized by the view.

"Aa..."

All too soon, the number of fireworks dwindled and the roof top was shrouded in darkness. The trails of smoke left behind blended in with the clouds, eventually disappearing completely.

"Is it over?" I stood up and was about to leave when more fireworks were set off with a loud bang. In my shock, I tripped over my own yukata and literally fell into Neji's lap. For the first time that day, our eyes met for more than just a measly second. Ignoring the rest of the world, we gazed into each other's eyes as numerous fireworks were set off above Hokage mountain. Neji's eyes were gentle, almost contented, so unlike his usual serious expression. I never have or never will get tired of looking at them...

"Are you alright?" Neji lifted me up and gently lowered me back onto the roof next to him.

"Yeah, I hope I didn't crush you or something," I mumbled, blushing. I seem to be doing that a lot lately.

"Thanks Neji," I said, just as a particularly large golden firework illuminated the entire village. Neji looked at me quizzically and I continued, "For sharing this festival with me." Neji gave me one of his small smiles. In the background, more fireworks exploded alongside the one from before.

"Hn." For once, I didn't mind his lack of syllables...

* * *

Author's Note: 

Hi! Did you like it? I haven't had fluff for a while so I thought it would be nice. I'm updating faster then usual coz it's a holiday.

I had lots of fun with this since I've "recently" experienced something like this. Minus most of the fluff of course. Lol, more jealous Neji. In case some of you didn't get the why I picked Kumogakure out of all the other ninja villages, it was to torture Neji since his daddy was killed because Hiashi killed a Kumogakure ninja who he tried to kidnap Hinata. My sis says I'm evil...

He said "wow" halfway before cutting off, but Tenten doesn't know that. Kirei means pretty ( I like using jap )

This chapter is written in honour of my country's Independance Day and a two no three other days.

Beta read by Midnight Memories.


	13. C rank Mission: Hidden Danger

Disclaimer: When I'm rich enough I'll buy it, but now I'm not so I don't own it.

* * *

Several weeks had rolled past since the festival. Since then, all of us had been busy with training and missions. Training was becoming a routine affair and the missions weren't in the least bit exciting. Unless you count Lee messing up and causing a whole lot of trouble excitement. Once again, I was bored. Last time I was bored, I had managed to humiliate myself, gotten attacked twice and nearly fell off a cliff to my doom all in the span of one week. So I should have known that being bored wasn't good. It was bad, really bad... 

Especially if Lee and Gai-sensei were feeling just as bored as I was...

* * *

" Mission completed!" Gai-sensei grinned at Hokage-sama, who took a long puff on his pipe, filling the air with a strange smell. I was pretty used to it, having been in the Hokage Tower numerous times over the last six months. 

"That's good. Now for the next mission," he replied, reaching for a scroll titled 'D-rank'. I was extremely sick of D-rank missions. They weren't even missions ninety percent of the time, it was more of a creative form of torture by making us do manual labour. How on earth do tasks like cleaning rivers, picking up litter, and looking after various animals would help us in becoming better ninjas?

"Hokage-sama," Lee addressed the Sandaime directly. The Hokage looked up and Lee continued, "Would it be alright for us to go on a C-rank missi-" I hurriedly covered Lee's mouth to prevent him from continuing.

"Do you want to get punished?" I hissed in his ear. Lee shook his head and I released him.

"D-rank missions are boring, Tenten-san," Lee whispered back, echoing my thoughts exactly. Boy, our superiors would be pissed if they heard. Neji was glaring at Lee, silently telling him to shut up. I was waiting for Gai-sensei to say something about Lee's insubordination, but he just looked thoughtful.

"Hokage-sama, I feel that my team is ready to take on more difficult missions," he announced. Lee's eyes brightened and I was sighing in relief on the inside. Finally...

"No, your team has only recently become Genin. D-rank missions are the most suitable." My heart sank and Lee's head drooped. Neji remained impassive as always.

"Hokage-sama, I've trained them extremely hard and they are more than competent. They've already gone on a C-rank mission before and they did a wonderful job," Gai-sensei insisted, getting more worked up.

"That was because no other teams were available and the risk was small," he explained. We were selected for convenience? Figures. All they care about is money.

"Hokage-sama! My team is extremely youthful and equally skillful! I assure you, they can handle higher level missions!" Gai-sensei gave Hokage-sama his nice guy pose.

"Well, I suppose a simple miss-" Sandaime was cut off when Lee suddenly jumped onto him and hugged him so hard that he was turning blue.

"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

Once we had pulled Lee off the Hokage, he stated reading from a mission scroll. "Team Gai, your new mission is to scout the southeastern region of the forest outside the village. Gai, I'm leaving you to explain further. You will leave at sunrise tomorrow and return by sunset. A Chuunin team will be placed on alert status. They will be sent out to find you if the deadline is not met. Dismissed."

As we left Hokage Tower, I couldn't help wondering whether Hokage-sama agreed because he didn't want Gai-sensei to start a rant on youth, or because he didn't want to be blinded by the 200-watt grin. Whichever the case, at least we got a better mission even if there was more risk involved. The forests surrounding Konoha should be pretty safe, and we have a Jounin to protect us. What could go wrong?

* * *

The next day, we left from the south gate. As we headed to the edge of the forest by tree-top, Gai-sensei started giving us instructions. 

"Everyone, listen closely," Neji and I turned our attention to our sensei and Lee was writing down notes. How does he write legibly and run at the same time? "Scouting missions are normally left to those of Chuunin rank, but it was thanks to my persuasive skills and our youthfulness that we were assigned this mission. All of you need to pay close attention to your surroundings. Look out for suspicious objects or people. This area is generally the safest, but I want you all to stay on your guard. The safety of our beloved village rests upon our youthful shoulders! Youth at full power!"

"Yes! Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted enthusiastically, punching the air with the hand holding his notebook, accidentally dropping it. As it spiraled downwards into the undergrowth, Lee began wailing. "My notes! My precious notes are lost forever!" I rolled my eyes. Typical Lee.

He almost dived down to retrieve them, but Neji caught him by the scruff of his neck. "Focus on the mission." Lee gaped at Neji in awe.

"Yes! I shall focus and give this mission my all!"

"I'm proud of you, Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!" You can guess what happened next...

* * *

The journey went by uneventfully, with the occasional slip up from Lee and random shouts of youth from Gai-sensei. 

"If you keep shouting you're going to scare off anyone, suspicious or not!" I screamed at Gai-sensei for the third time in as many minutes. He didn't even spare me a glance.

"Tenten-san, your voice is louder than Gai-sensei's," Gai's Mini-me stated. Throwing up my hands in exasperation I decided to give up. Continuing would just lead to warped logic on our sensei's part, a two hour long rant on youth followed by crashing waves and non-existent sunsets.

Neji had been silent the entire time, glaring at every tree and animal that passed as though it had done him great personal wrong. He was either trying to scare off the wild life or scan the area thoroughly. More like as though his life depended on it. We were supposed to start from the point furthest from Konoha and then head back, scouting the entire area simultaneously. If Neji was this serious about the preliminary survey, I don't even want to think about what he was going to do during the actual thing.

I suddenly had this strange mental image of Neji comically peering into every nook and cranny of the forest. Giggling, I stole a glance at the aforementioned shinobi who gave me a small nod before returning back to his task.

* * *

We arrived at the target zone successfully and without injury, mostly anyway. Lee had managed to accumulate numerous minor cuts from thorns, several bruises from falling off the trees and a few grazes from the branches he hit on his way down. I suppose it isn't his fault, he can't use chakra to stick onto branches like the rest of us. 

Immediately, Neji activated his byakugan and paused for several seconds before announcing that this area was clear.

"Yosh! Let's head for the next one!" Gai-sensei.

The process continued until we were seventy percent finished. Neji did practically all the work, having byakugan really helped. The deadline was about five hours away so we could take our time to scout the remaining area before heading back.

The harsh sun beat down on the back of our necks through the trees. We were grateful for whatever little shade they provided. The air was completely still and wrapped around us like a heavy blanket. We had been running almost non-stop since the start of the mission and I was ready to collapse. Although he tried to hide it, Neji was the most tired of us all, having used byakugan so much. Gai-sensei must have noticed our fatigue.

"After the next area we shall stop for a break," he announced. I sighed in relief, but Lee had to open his big mouth.

"I'm perfectly fine, Gai-sensei! In fact I think we should double our current speed. Maybe even triple!"

"That's a wonderful idea! Eveyone increase your speed, we will not rest if we do not reach the target point within 15 minutes!"

"Yes! Gai-sensei!" I groaned and pumped as much chakra into my legs as possible to keep up with Gai-sensei. Neji was glaring at Lee, who took absolutely no notice and continued running ahead. He was completely oblivious to the murderous intent that was directed at him as he was far too busy discussing his youth with Gai-sensei.

I never knew Neji could be that angry.

* * *

Luckily, we arrived just in time. I collapsed on the forest floor and gulped down water from the bottle in my pack. Neji was leaning against a tree and panting lightly in as dignified a manner as he could muster while Lee and Gai-sensei were ranting about how their youth conquered all. 

After about five minutes, Neji recovered sufficiently to use his ability.

"Byakugan!" Neji did not utter a word as he surveyed the area. Suddenly, I heard a sharp intake of breath as the veins around his eyes grew even more pronounced.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Neji deactivated his byakugan and stared at where I presumed he saw the "suspicious object" and approached it, gesturing for me to follow. As we walked towards the area, my hand strayed unconsciously towards my thigh holster. We stopped at an empty patch of grass. "There's nothing here." Neji activated his byakugan again and focused on the spot. Shortly after that, he deactivated his bloodline limit.

"I thought I saw a burst of chakra. It was faint, but now it's gone." My gaze shifted from the tufts of grass to Neji. Even without byakugan I could tell that there was absolutely nothing suspicious about a patch of grass.

"Maybe you're just exhausted."

"Hn," Neji replied, glaring at the blades of grass before turning around and heading back to the rest of the team. Just as I was about to do the same, I thought I saw the grass moving. Strange, there was no wind. I bent down and examined the grass closely. It still looked like ordinary grass to me. Perhaps it was a trick of the light...

* * *

As we were heading to the next place, Lee and Gai were still happily talking about how their "eternal flame of youth" had allowed them to complete the mission so quickly. Neji looked more serious than usual. 

"Neji?"

"Yes?"

"Are you still worried about the grass thing?" His silence answered me. "If you are, you might as well inform Gai-sensei. I'm sure he'll know what to-" I was cut off by Lee's scream.

"We're under attack!" Lee was pointing at the long thick vines hanging in front of us. They were moving on their own and heading towards us.

"Our youth will prevail! Attack!" Gai-sensei shouted. He and his miniature charged towards the vines. In their defence, they put up a good fight and destroyed several of them by punching through them. On the other hand, they were outwitted by plants. The remaining vines had wrapped themselves around both of them, constricting them in a deadly embrace. I threw shuriken to sever the vines and both of them went crashing down through the thick foliage. Neji and I followed them down in a more graceful and less painful way.

By the time we reached them, they had already escaped from the clutches of the vines.

"Tenten-san, you're so smart, I didn't think of using a kunai to free myself!" Lee exclaimed.

"Excellent work. I never realized that vines could be so strong," Gai-sensei added, massaging his wrists to get the circulation going.

Neji activated his byakugan. "There's a chakra signature on these vines. Someone was controlling them."

"I should have known! Vines don't just attack people of their own accord, well not here anyway," Gai-sensei said. "The only place this kind of thing happens is in Kusagakure."

"Hidden Grass? Wasn't there was a treaty that prevents them from crossing our borders?" I asked.

"I...err...I think so," Gai-sensei replied, scratching his head. "Perhaps- Look out!" The grass around us was growing longer at an incredible speed. Those beneath our feet were gripping onto the soles of our sandals, preventing us from escaping. Gai-sensei was the only one who noticed fast enough and he leapt onto a tree, only to have the branch wrap itself around him.

From the very same tree emerged a ninja with a grass forehead protector. There was no indication of his rank, but considering his strength, I'm guessing he was at least a chuunin. His hair was a deep blue, almost black, and he had a mask covering the lower half of his face. I was almost expecting him to pull out an orange book. He immediately focused his attention on the sole adult of the group.

"A Jounin got caught so easily? It's just as I thought, Konoha ninja are such weaklings."

"Don't insult our village!" Lee shouted to the grass-nin.

"Soon your village won't even exist. Konoha will be destroyed by Kusagakure and you four are going to help me."

"We would never help you," I spat, silently cursing at the grass that was preventing me from impaling that idiot.

"You don't have a choice little girl. I'll use my plants to take control of your bodies, assassinate your fool of a Hokage and claim the village for Hidden Grass." I glared at him with the deepest loathing, Gai-sensei and Lee were fuming and Neji, although calmer than the rest of us, looked as angry as Neji could get.

"Not if we defeat you!" Gai-sensei shouted at the ninja who turned to face him.

"Look around, you're surrounded by plants. It's obvious who'll win, just give up your meaningless struggle."

"We won't lose," Lee muttered and the man raised an eyebrow. "We're Konoha shinobi! We can't lose to someone like you!" he continued, his voice growing louder and more determined with every word.

"Enough talk. Now that I think of it, I don't need so many of you, only the Jounin," he smirked, "I'll have some fun before continuing with my mission." He disappeared from view and appeared behind Lee in the blink of an eye.

"Lee!" Gai-sensei gasped, struggling even harder at his bonds. The wood creaked and groaned, finally breaking and releasing him from his prison. He dived down and used his dynamic entry on his opponent who jumped aside, dodging the attack before it could make contact.

"You're stronger than I thought," he mused, studying Gai-sensei, "I suppose fighting you wouldn't hurt."

"Everyone," Gai-sensei addressed us, "I'm going to fight him and lure him away so the three of you can escape. Get back to Konoha as soon as possible and inform Hokage-sama. Neji, you're in charge, make sure all of you get back safely." I was filled with new respect for our sensei.

"Understood," Neji replied. I nodded.

"But-" Lee started.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Gai-sensei gave us a nice guy pose and started running into the forest with the ninja in pursuit.

Meanwhile, the rest of us were still trying to free ourselves from the grass. I tried cutting it with a kunai but it was rendered useless since the edge was just getting less sharp with every try. In frustration, I threw the kunai onto the ground where it disappeared in the sea of green.

"It can't be cut," I said.

"What? Now what do we do? We won't be able to get help and save Gai-sensei," Lee wailed.

"How is the grass being controlled?" I asked Neji who used byakugan to check.

"He's using chakra to manipulate it."

"If it's being controlled by chakra..." I started.

"We can disrupt the flow and he won't be able to control it," Neji finished. We bent down and forced chakra into the grass. After a while, the grass loosened its hold on me and I wrenched myself free. Neji was released shortly after. I decided to free Lee since he couldn't channel chakra and Neji was short on chakra. Once I had freed him we started making plans.

"We have to get back to Konoha as quickly as possible. Lee you need to run ahead since you've got the most stamina. I'll use byakugan to check every ten minutes in case that guy has any accomplices lurking around and to make sure that you're safe. Tenten, you'll bring up the rear with me so that in case something happens to Lee, at least one of us will get back safely to inform the village." It sounded like a logical plan so I nodded in agreement. Lee remained unusually quiet and motionless.

"Lee? Are you ok?" I asked, waving a hand in front of his face. He slapped my hand away and started throwing punches at me.

"Lee! What are you doing?" Neji asked with a slight note of panic in his voice, catching Lee's fist in his palm. Lee spun on his heel and kicked Neji who flew back several meters, but managed to regain his balance. "Lee!'" Neji shouted. Our green clad teammate didn't respond, instead rushing up to Neji and attacking him.

"Lee!"

* * *

Author's Note: 

Sorry for the late update. Please see my profile for the reasons.

I had a pretty hard time thinking of what kind of mission and enemy to give them, but I hope this is ok. I'll try to start writing the next chapter asap. I've already planned it out, hope that helps.

Beta read by Midnight Memories.

R&R!


	14. Epic Battle: Teammates vs Teammate

Disclaimer: Can I have Naruto, Kishimoto-san? No? Aww...

* * *

**_Note: Some of this chapter will be in Neji's point of view and others in normal point of view (Tenten's). The indication of the POV change is at the top of the paragraphs in BOLD letters, NOT the line breaks. As long as I don't say "Neji's POV", it means that it's still Tenten's POV and vice versa._**

* * *

**Neji's POV:**

"Lee!" Tenten's voice called out as I dodged a kick aimed for my head. Lee's face remained completely emotionless and his eyes were blank. I was still dodging and occasionally countering, refraining from using my full strength in case I injured him. His attacks were quite easy to read, but I was low on chakra.

Every time I tried to think of a possible reason for Lee's actions, he would break my concentration by forcing me to dodge. Maybe he was jealous that Gai put me in charge? No, Lee wouldn't be that petty and I'm sure he would never betray Konoha. Something's definitely wrong.

* * *

**Tenten's POV:**

At first Neji and Lee were evenly matched, seeing as Neji couldn't attack Lee. However, Neji's movements were gradually slowing. He was panting heavily and beads of sweat were rolling down the sides of his face. This was the first time I had seen him in such a state. Ever since the first time I sparred with him, he had always looked as immaculate as he had before even we started. He was probably tired from using too much chakra earlier.

I decided to join in the fight to cut Neji some slack. I couldn't use my weapons in case I killed Lee, so I was reduced to using taijutsu and some of my not-so-dangerous weapons. Technically speaking, all weapons were dangerous if used effectively and my skills with hand-to-hand combat weren't bad, but I was pretty tired as well.

I threw myself into the fray just in time to prevent Lee from punching Neji. Using his fist as leverage, I flipped and landed a kick on his shoulder. Lee didn't even bat an eyelid and continued attacking Neji, driving him further away from me. It was as if he wanted to take out Neji first. I knew that Lee would never do something like this. Even if he would, anyone with half a brain cell would attack me first since most people wouldn't have a very high chance of beating Neji. Especially since Lee knew Neji and I reasonably well...

Then it hit me.

"Neji!" I called out as he dodged a punch, "He's being controlled by that ninja!"

* * *

**Neji's POV:**

I should have realized.

Gathering the little chakra I had left, I activated my byakugan. Lee's body was surrounded by chakra, so there was no doubt that he was being controlled. Lee leapt forward and did a spinning kick that would have swept me off my feet had I not dodged by jumping up and remaining airborne with chakra. Lee can't mold chakra so he shouldn't be able to reach me at this height and I would be able to find out how he was being controlled. Using the last of my chakra, I magnified my vision and was about to begin my search, but Lee had disappeared.

"Neji!" Tenten shrieked. I whipped my head around and saw Lee behind me. How did he-

Lee's following punch sent me hurtling back towards earth. I never expected him to have improved so much since the last time we fought. Before, he couldn't even move that quickly. Then again, during my earlier battle with him, my chakra levels were at their maximum. If I had enough chakra, I could have used kawarimi to evade the attack. I've never fought without chakra before, but then I realized that this was how Lee fought all the time.

The pain in my left shoulder was immense, yet not overwhelming. It would hurt a whole lot more when I'll hit the ground in a few seconds.

* * *

**Tenten's POV:**

I gasped in horror as Lee delivered a punch right into Neji's shoulder. The sheer force of the blow had Neji speeding towards me. I caught him by his shoulders and I nearly fell over from the sudden addition of weight. Thinking quickly, I dug my heels into the compacted earth and was forced backwards, uprooting quite a bit of grass. Before long, we skidded to a halt. The ground had absorbed most of the impact, but I was going to have some nice bruises on my palms tomorrow.

"Are you alright?" Neji asked, biting his lip, his face contorted in pain. The veins around his eyes were back to their normal size.

"I'm fine. Are you hurt?" I tried to help him up and accidentally touched his left shoulder. Neji winced visibly.

"I'll live," he replied, trying to stand up straight and failing when his knees buckled. "You rest here, I'll take care of Lee."

"I can still-" I cut Neji off. He was too tired and injured to continue fighting, but his pride still refused to give in.

"We need byakugan. You stay here until you regain enough chakra." I helped Neji to the nearest tree where he leaned against the tree trunk for support, panting. Once I had made sure Neji would be ok, I turned to Lee who was standing in the middle of the field, observing us closely as though contemplating the situation.

Summoning a pair of tonfa, I approached my opponent. Both of us assumed our stances and waited for the other to make the first move. Lee made it by ducking very quickly and giving me an upward kick, which I blocked. If I didn't have my tonfa, I would have two more bruises to add to my collection. He jumped backwards and threw five or six shuriken. Twirling my tonfa by the handle quickly, I deflected them and dove towards Lee.

We matched each other blow for blow, yet neither of us had managed to score a hit. Suddenly, Lee made a swift upwards kick at my tonfa. They flew out of my hands and landed quite a distance away. In my momentary lapse of concentration, he took the chance to punch me in my abdomen, knocking the wind out of me. Trying to ignore the pain, I summoned a staff and ran towards Lee.

I swung the staff at Lee and hit him on the shoulder. Unaffected, he leapt forward and did a spinning kick at head level. Ducking, I successfully evaded what would have been a critical blow, yet I failed to notice the second one that was coming until it was almost going to hit me. Out of pure instinct, I used the staff to block. Lee's kick reduced my staff to splinters and hit my side. I cried out in agony and was sent flying.

* * *

**Neji's POV:**

From my spot under the tree, I watched as Tenten fought Lee. I couldn't help but feel a brief tinge of pride for my teammate. She had improved tremendously since the first time we sparred. In the beginning, she and Lee were on par, despite the fact that she was low on chakra as well as stamina. Before long, Lee had managed to punch her. I resisted the urge to help. If I did, I would have to use the chakra I had regained before it was enough to use byakugan and all Tenten had done so far would be for naught.

When Lee kicked Tenten, I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I ran towards my sparring partner to intercept her fall. I couldn't afford to let her get injured further, I needed her help to save Lee. Just as she was about to hit the ground, I lunged forward and caught her, landing on my wounded shoulder. Hard.

Pain shot down the entire left side of my body. Biting my lip in an effort to prevent myself from screaming, I used my good arm to push myself into a sitting position. My female teammate was lying on the ground next to me, not moving a muscle. "Tenten?" She opened her eyes and gave me a small smile.

"Thanks, Neji," she replied and attempted to sit up. She stopped halfway, clutching her side and gritting her teeth from the pain. "How's your shoulder?"

"Don't worry about me," I said, eyeing her wounds.

"I'll be fine," she assured me, but I was far from it. I helped her into a standing position and analyzed the situation. It was two versus one, so we had the advantage in terms of numbers. On the other hand, my shoulder was still throbbing, Tenten was injured and both of us were low on chakra. We had to finish this soon, I explained my strategy to my female teammate.

"Let's go," I focused all my attention on my other teammate. Tenten nodded and both of us charged at Lee, attacking simultaneously from either side.

* * *

**Tenten's POV:**

Lee jumped up and scissored his legs. Both of us blocked and I did a low spinning kick, tripping Lee, while Neji gave him a swift uppercut in the jaw. We knew that we were running out of time, so if we were unable to free Lee from the Grass nin's control, the best thing to do was to incapacitate him, bring him back to Konoha, and let the medics treat him. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that.

Lee did a back flip and landed half a meter away from my current position. Neji engaged him as I waited for his signal. So far, Lee had shown not even the barest hint of hesitation or fatigue. However, his movements were rather mechanical and direct, making them much more predictable than Neji's fighting style. With Neji, you never knew where or when he was going to attack next until it actually hit you.

Neji blocked a kick aimed at his left side. Lee followed his first attack with a punch to the face, which was dodged. Jumping into the air while spinning forward, he delivering a powerful punch that hit Neji squarely in the chest. Neji grimaced when Lee's foot made contact. That must have hurt. I was itching to summon a weapon and rejoin the battle, but I remembered my conversation with Neji earlier...

* * *

_"I only have enough chakra to use byakugan for a few minutes. I'll fight Lee while you standby. On my signal, restrain Lee so I can find the medium of control and remove it."_

_"Neji, I can still fight!" I protested._

_"It's crucial that you restrain him immediately. If you're fighting him, you may not be able to react quickly enough when you get my signal."_

_"Fine," I pouted. __"Can I at least fight at the start of the battle?"_

_"Suit yourself," he said, turning to face Lee. "Let's go."_

* * *

The ends of Neji's lips curved upwards into a smirk as he grasped Lee's arm and spun on his heel. Using the momentum, he flung Lee towards me. "Now!" he shouted. 

I summoned a Kusarigama, an extremely versatile melee weapon with a scythe on one end for lethal attacks, and a chain at the other end for defense and disarming the opponent. Swinging the weighted chain in a large circle over my head, I whipped it forward and it wrapped itself around Lee, immobilizing him. Lee was struggling and pulling at the chain. The metal links on my end were starting to break. I pulled the chain towards me and caught it in the middle to reduce the strain on the end closest to me and to tighten the chain's grip around Lee to prevent him from escaping.

"Byakugan!" Neji ran towards Lee. He was probably trying to conserve chakra by observing from a shorter distance. In one swift motion, he whipped out a kunai and slashed at Lee's neck. What on earth did Neji think he was doing? Biting my lip, I decided to trust him. Lee stopped struggling and his body slumped within his bindings. I took out one of my scrolls, formed a hand seal and my kusarigama disappeared with a poof of smoke. Immediately, Lee crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Neji! Is Lee alright?" I rushed over to them and checked on Lee. "He's unconscious," I told Neji who was staring intently at his palm. "What's that?" I peered over Neji's shoulder, resenting the fact that I had to tiptoe in order to do so.

"It's a seed. I think," Neji replied, holding it up to the light and examining it thoroughly with byakugan.

"Isn't it dangerous?"

"There's residual chakra surrounding it, but not enough to do anything." Neji reassured as he deactivated his bloodline limit. Thank Kami, I've had more than enough excitement for one day. "We should bring it back to the village so the ANBU can examine it. I'll be carrying Lee so I'll be slower. There's also possibility that the ninja's accomplices may attack us. If that happens, I'll hold them back, with Lee's help if he wakes up, while you run for Konoha with the seed."

"Err..." I wasn't too keen on holding something potentially dangerous.

"Or I could take the seed while you hold Lee," Neji continued. Without a moment's contemplation, I extended my open palm.

"I'll take it."

* * *

**Neji's POV:**

I slung Lee over my uninjured shoulder, staggering slightly under the weight. Glancing at Tenten, who was searching for her tonfa, I sighed inwardly. Tenten was badly injured, carrying Lee would just aggravate her condition and she would probably collapse from the heaviness of our thick-eye browed teammate. Why did Lee have to be unconscious? Now I not only had to lead my teammates and get everyone back safely, I also had to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring Lee's safety. Literally.

"Found them!" Tenten exclaimed with a smile and sealed her tonfa back into her scroll. I grunted my signature word that could be used at any time, place and during any situation. Of course, it serves another purpose...

"Stop saying 'Hn'!" She scolded for the third time that day. I repeated the syllable again, smirking. She rolled her eyes and leapt into the trees. I followed her, silently cursing Lee's weight.

* * *

We had covered quite a distance in the last half an hour or so. Assuming that we don't get ambushed or attacked, according to my calculations, we should arrive at Konoha within an hour at most. 

"Do you want me to carry Lee for a while?" Tenten asked, her concern apparent in her eyes.

"I can handle it," I lied. Silence echoed throughout the forest, only broken by the occasional chirping of a bird or the rustling of the leaves above us in the welcome wind. I listened intently to the soothing sound of nature, something I didn't hear very often in the village. Even in the Hyuga complex, the silence was interspersed with soft chatter and that annoying bamboo fountain outside my room. I have a suspicision that Hiashi-sama assigned me that room on purpose.

Then, I heard the sound of rushing water. "We're close to the river. We'll stop there for a short rest."

"Thank goodness," Tenten sighed in relief.

We arrived at the river shortly. Placing Lee on the ground, I took a drink of the cool, clear water and refilled my water bottle. Tenten did the same. I splashed some of it onto my face, it felt so refreshing to wash off the sweat that was pouring down my face. In all my years I have never, ever perspired this much, and to think that Chuunins go on such strenuous missions. I still have a long way to go...

I sat down cross-legged under a large tree, closed my eyes, and meditated to speed up the chakra regeneration process. Suddenly, I felt a fourth, unfamiliar chakra signature besides my teammates and I. It was faint, but there. I activated byakugan to look for the origin of the chakra.

"Neji?" Tenten asked, walking towards me. I didn't let myself be distracted and focused on the task at hand. "Is something wrong?" My gaze briefly shifted from the area I was scanning to her. I was about to continue with my survey when I noticed that there was a small concentration of chakra behind Tenten. I zoomed into that spot and realized it was the seed in her pouch that was the source of the strange chakra. The seed started to was pulse and it gave off small bursts of chakra. Something was protruding out of the side of the seed that was definately not there before. Don't tell me it was...

* * *

Author's Note: 

Hi! Hope you liked this chapter. The fight scenes took me ages to visualize and then put into words. Thanks to my sister for being my living, breathing thesaurus/dictionary and helping me to choose appropriate words that would convey my thoughts accurately. Also, for discussing the plot and helping me finalize it.

Well, this gives us a bit of an insight into Neji's thoughts. I've always wondered how he thinks, especially since he hardly shows his thoughts. Lol. I hope he isn't OOC. Well... not _too _out of character. Then again, I'm not even sure what is considered out of character for Neji...

Beta read by Midnight Memories.

That's it for this chapter. Cya!


	15. Team 9's Determination

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Naruto wouldn't be the main character. Tenten would. Then it wouldn't be called Naruto, it'd be called "Tenten".

* * *

**_This chapter will follow the same format as the previous one: Some of this chapter will be in Neji's point of view and others in normal point of view (Tenten's). The indication of the POV change is at the top of the paragraphs in BOLD letters, NOT the line breaks. As long as I don't say "Neji's POV", it means that it's still Tenten's POV and vice versa._**

* * *

**Tenten's POV**: 

"Tenten! Look out!" Neji shouted, startling me. Before I could even open my mouth to say anything, Neji took a kunai out of his holster and threw it. The kunai barely missed me and pinned the pouch to a tree on the other side of the river.

"Neji! What on-" I stopped abruptly when I turned to retrieve my pouch, too shocked to finish my sentence. A green tendril was snaking out of the pouch, growing longer with every second. It wrapped itself around the kunai and proceeded to attack the tree, breaking one of the smaller branches with a loud crack. The cloth stretched and bulged as the plant got bigger and ripped at the seams when it grew too large. Several scrolls and shuriken were scattered around the tree while the rest were trapped in between the branches. Most of my explosive tags either got skewered by the stems, got caught on the leaves or were ripped to shreds. A few small, black balls exploded when they hit the ground and the entire opposite bank was enveloped in smoke. It's going to cost me a fortune to replace them. Explosive tags and smoke bombs aren't exactly cheap...

"We have to get out of here," Neji announced, jolting me out of my daze.

"But, we can't just leave it here!" I exclaimed, pointing at the mass of smoke for emphasis.

"We don't have a choice. Neither of us are in any condition to fight and Lee isn't even conscious. Our priority is to get back to Konoha," he reasoned, deactivating his byakugan. "When we get back, we can request for Hokage-sama to send a team to get rid of it. Even if it is dangerous, we'll be fine as long as it doesn't attack us." Neji turned around and bent down to pick Lee up. Suddenly, a thick green vine shot out from the smoke and made to attack him. Acting quickly, I summoned a katana out of the scroll in my pocket and sliced the vine in two before it reached him.

I raised an eyebrow at my teammate, "You were saying?"

* * *

**Neji's POV:**

Hn...

I reactivated byakugan and directed my gaze at the center of the smoke. The plant had grown to a monstrous size, covering a radius of about one and a half metres. There were numerous vines around it, which were moving and crushing the trees behind it. Enormous leaves with jagged edges were interspersed with the vines. A large lump, that I had yet to identify, was sitting in the middle. When the smoke cleared, Tenten gasped while I barely stopped myself from doing the same. It looked even bigger than before.

"Now what do we do?" Tenten asked with a quiver in her voice.

"Take Lee and run. I'll handle it," I said, placing Lee back on the ground and arming myself with a kunai.

"I can't just leave you here!" Tenten protested.

"Tenten, the mission was-"

"To get everyone back safely and inform the village," Tenten interrupted, glaring at me with grim determination. "It's almost sun down. Remember what Hokage-sama said?" I made some quick calculations in my head. If Tenten and Lee were to leave now, they would get back just in time to meet the deadline. The Chuunin team would have already left by then. There wouldn't be a difference if they left or not. But...

"Hn," I shrugged. Tenten grinned and summoned the chained scythe from before, tossing me the katana. I caught it deftly.

"Use it," she said. I smirked and put the kunai back into my thigh holster. Getting into an offensive stance, I held the katana in front of me. The blade glinted in the sunlight, reflecting the image of our new enemy on its surface. Both of us rushed into battle.

* * *

**Tenten's POV:**

I used the chain to hold down some of the vines while I cut through the those that were attacking me. Neji was slashing those that came his way with a single minded determination, trying to get closer to the plant and failing when another wave of vines was sent his way.

"They just keep coming," I groaned as I used the chain to swing the small, cuved blade in a full circle above my head, cutting through several of the vines that were attacking from above. Neji grunted his favourite word, too busy to reply properly. I noticed that there was always a bunch of vines that weren't moving and were concentrated around a single area. I threw a couple of shuriken towards them, but another incercepted them before they met their mark. Perhaps...

"Neji! Use byakugan to see what's behind these vines!"

* * *

**Neji's POV:**

I severed a few more vines and obliged. Behind too many vines to count was the lump from before. With my limited chakra, I wasn't able to determine exactly what it was, but it was big. Really big. It have must be pretty important for it to be so well protected. If only we could breach its defenses, then we would be able to see what it was and destroy it. I deactivated byakugan to conserve chakra.

Katana held high, I charged towards the vines Tenten had pointed out and was about to stab them when a particularly large one lashed out and hit me in the back. I landed right on the wall of vines which I had tried to cut earlier. Hard. Gritting my teeth, I tried to reach for the katana which had flown out of my hands when I was thrown forward by that annoying vine. Before I even got close to touching it, the vines moved as one and sent me flying skyward. I remained suspended in mid-air for several seconds before spiraling back to earth.

Only then did I notice the vine from before speeding towards me from behind, its sharp tip glinting menacingly.

* * *

**Tenten's POV:**

"Neji!" I threw several kunai at the vine but they were blocked by another vine. In desperation, I flung the chain at Neji, hoping that it would somehow wrap itself around him so I could pull him to safety, but it was once again intercepted by that stupid vine. As a last resort, I jumped towards Neji, trying to use the scythe to cut the vine before it was too late. However, one of the smaller vines caught hold of my ankle and pulled me downwards. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to witness what was going to occur.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" My eyes snapped open as I heard a familiar voice. A green blur kicked the vine out of the way mere seconds before it impaled Neji and grabbed him. Said green blur landed gracefully with Neji on his shoulder, stood up and gave me a nice guy pose, complete with pinging grin.

"Lee, you're alright." I said, hacking at the vine that had trapped me and joining Lee.

"I feel wonderful, I must have fallen asleep!" Lee declared with stars in his eyes.

More like knocked out...

"Put me down," Neji said coldly. I was having a hard time holding in my laughter, imagining what this was doing to his precious pride. Lee consented and placed Neji back on the ground.

"My eternal rival! Why were you in such a predicament? As my rival, you should have been youthful enough to escape yourself." Neji was about to explain when more vines started attacking. "Youth shall prevail!" Lee shouted, punching and kicking every vine in his vicinity with a passion and vigour which I had deemed impossible by human standards. Neji and I were just standing there, sweatdropping, and watching Lee do all the work.

* * *

**Neji's POV:**

Before long, Lee managed to single-handedly exterminate all of the vines, except for those which did make any move to assault us. He stood beside Tenten and I, panting. "That was a good work out," he said, wiping his brow. He seemed to be back to his usual self. I'm sure no one else on the planet, other than Gai, would be that crazy about youth. Lee was definitely better as an ally, not an enemy.

I began considering our situation. We had three options. The first was to run and leave the plant behind. The second was to send Lee ahead first so he could inform Hokage-sama while Tenten and I stayed behind to fight. The last was to annihilate the plant completely and head back after that. The second was out of the question since Lee would downright refuse.

"Would you rather stay and fight or leave?" I questioned my two teammates, giving them a choice.

"We will stick together no matter what!" Lee exclaimed dramatically, "I will stay and fight even if it costs me my life! My eternal fountain of youth shall overcome all obstacles!"

"I'm staying," Tenten said, eyes filled with new resolve.

"What we have to do is-" I was about to explain the plan when Lee cut me off.

"Yosh!" Lee clenched his fist, eyes burning with resolve, "If I cannot defeat this adversary, I will do 100 push-ups on one finger! If I cannot do that, I will run 400 laps on one hand with double weights!" Tenten rolled her eyes. No doubt about it, that's definitely Lee...

* * *

**Tenten's POV:**

"The first thing we need to do is to get rid of the vines." Neji said. Lee and I nodded and the three of us began attacking the vines. Some of them had started to fight back, but majority of them remained still. My Kusari-gama was quite effective. Neji and Lee were equally successful. The former had found the katana from earlier and was using it. I never knew he could use a sword so well...

"Konoha Senpū!" Lee shouted, ducking quickly to dodge one of the vines and giving it a powerful upward kick. The vine flew towards me and I threw a fuuma shuriken at it, slicing it, along with several others, clean in half. At this rate, we would be done in no time.

"Why are there so many vines?" Lee shouted, punching one of the vines as hard as he could. Then I realized that the number of vines wasn't decreasing. In fact, they were increasing. I watched in horror as the vines I had just cut grow two more extensions.

"Stop cutting them! They double when you do!" Neji dropped the katana when he heard my words.

"Lee!" Neji called out. Aforementioned ninja stopped himself in mid kick and rushed over to Neji and I. "We have to find a way to defeat them without severing them," he explained as we stood back to back, punching the odd vine that tried to get closer to us.

"How do we- Neji!" I screamed frantically as all of the vines started coming straight at us, surrounding us completely.

"We're trapped," Neji said, activating byakugan and looking as hard as he could for an opening.

"I don't want to die!" Lee wailed.

Suddenly, the vines came to a halt for several seconds before the pointed ends fell to the ground. The main vines followed suit shortly after and hit the ground with a loud thump. Thank Kami, I thought I was a goner. Through the clouds of dust from the impact, I could barely discern an indistinct shadow. When the dust cleared, Lee and I gaped at the sight. Neji just stared. What we saw wasn't exactly what we had expected.

"A tortoise?" Lee raised a thick eyebrow.

"Who are you calling a tortoise?" The ...Tortoise retorted. It was larger than your average tortoise by at least a hundred times. Its body was completely red, except for the spiral designs, lining and underside of its shell which were yellow. A Konoha forehead protector was hanging around its neck and there was an orange piece of cloth tied around its right foot.

"It talks?" My jaw dropped even lower, if even possible.

"Of course I talk! How else would I communicate with my summoner?" I was confused. First, we get attacked my some psycho who wants to take over the village. Then we get attacked by Lee, followed by a giant plant. Then, a giant talking tortoise saves us and starts talking some nonsense about kami-knows-what. Maybe Neji would start dancing the Macarena next.

"Who are you?" Neji asked, narrowing his eyes at the tortoise.

"My name is Ninkame. I was summoned by Gai-sensei and sent to help you. Never thought you would need it this badly. I figured you were smarter than th-Get off me!" Ninkame hollered at Lee who had leapt onto him and was hugging him tightly around his neck.

"If you were summoned by Gai-sensei, it means that you must be as strong and as youthful as him! Thank you for saving us, Ninkame-sensei!" Did Lee just call that tortoise 'sensei'?

"We don't have time for this. Look," Ninkame said. The vines around us were starting to regenerate at a slow, yet steady pace. "Now, in order to get rid of these, I need you guys to cut them all at once and get out of the way. I'll take it from there."

I pulled a scroll out of my pocket, "Leave it to me." Jumping high into the air, I summoned a large array of weapons and threw them at the vines with pin point accuracy. Every scythe, mace, kunai and shuriken met its target, cutting up all the vines except those clustered in the middle that were protected by the others.

"Katon: Karyū Endan!" Ninkame shouted, spewing a long stream of fire at the vines, burning them before they could grow back. The flames were so incredibly hot that even from at least four meters above, I still could feel the intense heat. The vines were reduced to ashes in a matter of seconds. I can't believe we were outsmarted by a tortoise...

* * *

**Neji's POV:**

I admit that I never thought of using fire... Then again, none of us knew any fire jutsus or had any explosive tags, so there wouldn't be any point even if one of us had thought of it. Tenten landed beside me, panting. That attack must have used a lot of chakra.

"You nearly burnt me alive!" she screamed at the tortoise who rolled his eyes.

"Would you rather have been killed by those vines or _almost_ burnt?" It asked, emphasizing on the word almost. Tenten remained silent.

"Ninkame-sensei! I'm not worthy! Please forgive my earlier rudeness!" Lee was kowtowing to the tortoise, who ignored him.

"You're a Hyuga, right? Use your what's-it-called to find out what's behind those vines."

Tenten giggled. My mouth twitched in annoyance at being ordered around by some tortoise who didn't even know what the famous Hyuga clan's bloodline ability was called, but I agreed. From this close range, it would be easier to use byakugan. Despite that, I was still unable to make out exactly what it was. "Well, what is it?" Ninkame asked.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that it has-" The vines started spreading out and moving away, revealing what they had been hiding since the start of the fight. The lump was actually a flower of some kind, albeit a very ugly one. It was a dark greenish colour, so I couldn't even be sure whether it really was a flower or not. It opened its mouth, a long, thin black line which divided it in half, showing us it's razor sharp-

"Teeth." Tenten completed my sentence for me.

"What are we going to do, Ninkame-sensei?" Lee asked, gulping.

"I'll take care of the vines. You three will eliminate the flower," it replied.

"Yes, Ninkame-sensei!" Lee saluted his new 'sensei'. Tenten and I looked at each other before nodding. I could tell that neither of us were too keen on taking orders from a tortoise, but the plan sounded reasonable enough.

"Now, we fight," the tortoise announced, withdrawing itself into its shell and spinning so rapidly that it looked like a red and yellow blur. It flew straight for the vines, which were wriggling around like green serpents. Some were rearing back in preparation to strike and the others were once again grouping together to protect the flower. Fire started spurting out of the five holes in the shell, which were originally meant for its limbs and head, incinerating the vines within range. Lee and Tenten were gawking at the spectacle."What are you kids doing? Attack!" The tortoise shouted from inside its shell.

Lee sped through the path cleared by the flames. "Konoha Gōriki Senpū!" He gave the flower a spinning kick with his left leg and was about to do a second with his right when the flower snapped at him. Barely dodging, he punched it as hard as he could, but it shook off the punch and tried to bite him again. Lee jumped away just in time, but was caught by a vine. The vine started constricting Lee and he started choking from lack of air.

* * *

**Tenten's POV:**

"Lee!" I hurled a few kunai at the plant in an attempt to cut the vine so it would release him. The kunai were all obstructed by other vines. I had known this would happen so I had a back up plan. Using my fingers, I manipulated the the chakra strings attached to the kunai and used them to slice the vine around Lee. He broke free of its grasp and continued attacking the flower, making sure to avoid the vines.

Neji and I both entered the fray, eluding all the vines and concentrating solely on the flower. I decided to go for a longer ranged weapon this time, so I summoned a naginata and charged head on towards the base of the flower. It looked even more enormous up close. I stabbed its lower jaw and a green viscous liquid oozed out of the wound. It started convulsing as though trying to withstand the pain. I almost impaled it again, if not for those interfering vines. One of them tried to trip me by making a sweeping motion on the ground. I evaded it by jumping into the air.

"Behind you!" Neji shouted as he thrust his palm at one of those pesky vines. I whipped my head around and saw the flower directly behind me. If I didn't know that plants weren't very intelligent, I could have sworn that it was grinning sinisterly at us, its sharp teeth glinting in the light of the setting sun. It opened its mouth wide and sank its fangs into my right arm. I screamed as a sharp searing pain shot through my body. I stared at the bright crimson liquid that was running down my arm and my vision began to blur.

* * *

**Neji's POV:**

Tenten's scream seemed to last forever, echoing throughout the clearing. Even when it stopped, I could still hear it ringing in my ears. My eyes widened when I saw her dangling from the flower's mouth. Her arm and clothes were stained a deep red and a pool of blood had formed beneath her. Her eyes were closed, but her forehead was creased from the pain. Without a second thought, I seized the katana on the ground beside me and sprinted towards the flower, eradicating any vine that got in my way.

"Tenten-san!" Lee called out, punching right through one of the vines. I felt my heart skip a beat when she didn't respond. I concentrated every bit of chakra I had into my legs and continued heading straight for the target. I tossed some shuriken at the flower. They met their intended mark, but the flower started shaking violently, causing Tenten's face to contort in agony as its teeth ripped through more flesh. I couldn't hurt the flower without injuring Tenten even more.

Just then, I spotted something underneath the roots of the flower. Activating byakugan, I saw that it was an undamaged explosive tag. A plan began formulating in my mind and I activated it. It exploded immediately. Tenten groaned when she heard the sudden noise. With the blast dampened by the plant, the flower went undamaged, but it had served its purpose.

I used byakugan to see right through the large amounts of smoke and dust surrounding the flower and charged at it. With the smoke as camouflage, the plant wouldn't be able to see me and defend itself from my attack. In a quick and fluid motion, I sliced the stem of the flower in half. The vines stopped moving instantly and fell to the ground with a deafening crash. The flower must have been the one controlling the vines.

The flower's mouth opened, releasing Tenten as it plummeted to earth with Tenten not far behind .

* * *

**Tenten's POV:**

My eyes opened a fraction and I found myself looking at a orange sky dotted with multi-coloured clouds. I felt a pair of warm arms wrapping themselves around my body. My wounded arm throbbed painfully and my vision began swimming in and out of focus. The last thing I saw before darkness reclaimed me was a pair of pale lavender eyes.

* * *

Author's Note: 

Once again, the fight scenes were torture... I hope its ok.

Ninkame makes an appearance! Remember that red tortoise that Gai summons? It appears during the Chuunin exam arc, the episode where Lee was fighting Sasuke and Sasuke got his butt kicked. lol. At first I was like O.O coz I didn't think that Gai could do ninjutsu, but my sis suggested me putting the tortoise in since its abilities aren't really elaborated on. I know tortoises are more of water animals, but its from Konoha (Village of Fire...) so I figured it would use fire instead. Also, water vs plants isn't exactly a good idea.

My sis says I'm evil for making Tenten get hurt (dodges the flying objects), but its the basis for more fluff so don't kill me (barrage of random items stops).

Beta read by Midnight Memories.


	16. Memories

Disclaimer: I own a Konoha keychain!

* * *

_"Ohayo, Okaa-san!" I shouted, running out of my bedroom and into_ _the hallway. _

_"Ohayo, Tenten-chan," my mother smiled gently at me, picking me up and giving me a tight hug. I threw my arms around her neck. They could barely meet each other, but I didn't care. Burying my face in the crook of her neck, I inhaled deeply and smelled the rich floral scent of her perfume. I felt so safe and warm in her arms..._

_"Okaa-san, why is your hair red?" I asked, tugging lightly at her shoulder length hair._

_"Beacause your Baa-chan's hair was red," she replied, placing me onto the floor._

_"I want to be as pretty as Okaa-san," I said, grasping her hand tightly._

_"You're pretty the way you are. You have my eyes and your Tou-san's hair, isn't that nice?" I nodded in agreement and followed her to the table before starting to eat my breakfast._

_"Where's Otou-san?" I enquired through a mouthful of rice._

_"He's on a mission. He'll be back tonight."_

_"When Otou-san comes home, I'm gonna get him to teach me how to throw a shuriken!" I announced happily._

_"You're a little too young for that," she commented with an amused smile on her face. "Oh dear, look at the time. We can't be late for your first day of school." She helped me out of my chair since I was still too short to manage myself and we walked into my room. __"What do you want to wear, Tenten-chan?" I pointed to a short-sleeved top and a pair of pants, but okaa-san took down a dress instead._

_"Not that one!" I said indignantly. Okaa-san laughed and took down the correct clothes. She was about to put them on for me but I took the clothes from her. "I'm a big girl. I can do it myself," I pouted. I pulled the shirt on first, but it got stuck. "Okaa-san, is this shirt spoilt? It's dark,__" my muffled voice said. I heard Okaa-san giggle and she yanked the shirt down. _

_"I'll help you with the pants." _

_"Ok!" She helped me put on the rest of my clothes and tied my hair into two buns. "I don't like my hair like this," I pulled at the rubber bands holdng the buns together. _

_"You look cute this way," she said, patting my head. _

_"But I look like panda-chan," I pointed at my stuffed panda on my bed. Okaa-san sighed and tied my hair into a ponytail._

_"Better?" I nodded and grabbed her hand. We exited our apartment. _

_"Okaa-san, what's my school called?" I asked as we were walking down the stairs._

_"It's called Ninja Academy, Tenten-chan," she replied. _

_"Is it fun?" I jumped down two steps at a time._

_"I suppose it is."_

_"Why isn't Okaa-san a ninja like Otou-san?" _

_"If I was a ninja, how would I take care of you?" She teased, poking me in my stomach. I giggled._

_"__Hanako-baa-san! Masaru-ji-san! Ohayo!" I called out, waving at my neighbours._

_"Ohayo, Tenten-chan," Hanako-baa-san waved back. _

_"First day of school?" Masaru-ji-san asked, puffing at his pipe. I nodded._

_"I'm going to study hard and become a ninja like Otou-san!" I exclaimed. _

_"That's nice," Masaru-ji-san said, blowing a ring of smoke out of his mouth. Clapping, I waved good-bye and continued walking to school._

* * *

_"This is your new school, Tenten-chan," Okaa-san said. My eyes widened as I stared at the building._

_"It's so big! It must be as big as the Hokage tower! Maybe bigger!" Okaa-san laughed and led me inside. We walked through many different levels and corridors. _

_"Okaa-san, what if I get lost?" _

_"Don't worry, there will be a sensei to help you and teach you."_

_"Aren't senseis scary? Otou-san always says that his sensei was horrible!"_

_"He was only joking." _

_"Really?" Okaa-san nodded and consulted a piece of paper._

_"Here we are, this is your classroom." We were standing in front of a big door with the numbers "01-02" on it. I tried to open the door but the handle was too high, so Okaa-san opened it for me and we entered the room._

_"It's bigger than my room!" I exclaimed. "Why are there so many children here?" _

_"These are your classmates. You'll be sharing this room and your sensei with all of them." _

_"Like how me and panda-chan share chocolate?" I cocked my head to the side. Okaa-san smiled slightly and nodded._

_"Alright, settle down," an unfamiliar voice said from behind me. I turned around and saw a tall man with a bandana around his head and a senbon in his mouth._

_"Won't he poke his tongue?" I whispered to Okaa-san who shushed me. _

_"Your sensei is here. Okaa-san has to go now. I'll be back after school to walk you home." _

_"Why?" My bottom lip quivered slightly at the thought of being alone with all these strange people._

_"Tenten-chan, a ninja must be brave. Go on," she gave me a little nudge forward and the man from before shut the door and told me to take a seat. I scrambled to the nearest bench and sat down beside a girl with flaming red hair._

_"Why are you staring at me?" she questioned. I blushed._

_"Sorry, I just like your hair. It's as nice as my Okaa-san's." Her glare softened._

_"Thanks," she smiled. "Wow, your hair's so long. __Lucky, my parents don't let me keep my hair long. They said its not proper for a ninja to have long hair."_

_"But lots of ninja have long hair!"_

_"Really? I__'ll tell them when I get home. What's your name?" she asked._

_"Tenten," I replied shyly. _

_"Wanna be friends?" she asked. I nodded, grinning._

_"You two, stop talking and pay attention!" Sensei said, looking at the two of us. We quietened down immediately. When he turned to face the blackboard again, we glanced at each other and giggled softly._

* * *

_Yuzuki-chan and I were sitting outside eating our lunch. The afternoon sun was high in the sky, and we were glad for the shade the tree we were under provided. _

_"Tenten-chan, your lunch looks so good!" Yuzuki-chan exclaimed._

_"My Okaa-san made it for me," I explained._

_"That's nice, my mom doesn't cook at all. She and my dad are always busy with missions and stuff so they're never at home."_

_"Aren't you lonely?" _

_"Sometimes, but now you're my friend so it doesn't matter," she smiled and we continued eating. _

_"Ano," a voice said and we looked up and saw a boy with black hair and grey eyes. "Do you have any extra food? I kinda forgot to bring mine."_

_"Here," I offered him my bento. "You can have mine."_

_"Really?" he asked. __I nodded._

_"Okaa-san made extra." He grabbed the lunchbox and scarfed down the rest of the bento as Yuzuki-chan and I stared in amazement._

_"Wow, you must be hungry," Yuzuki-chan remarked. The boy gulped down the last of the food._

_"Thanks," he said, handing me the empty box. ____"Name's Asuka. _What's yours?"

_"I'm Tenten, and this is my friend Yuzuki-chan."_

_"You wanna play ninja with me and my friends?" _

_"What's that?" I asked, looking curiously at the black haired boy who gasped._

_"You mean you haven't played ninja before?" Asuka asked with a shocked look on his face. I shook my head and he shrugged. "Well, my dad always says there's no time like the present. Come on, I'll teach you."_

_"Yuzuki-chan, do you want to play?" I checked with my friend._

_"No thanks. I'll go back to class. Have fun," she stood up and walked towards the main building while I followed Asuka._

* * *

_"Otou-san!" I cried, tackling him into a hug._

_"Tenten, how was school?" Otou-san asked, grinning._

_"I made new friends! Yuzuki-chan is my seatmate and she has pretty hair just like okaa-san. Asuka sits in front of me and he taught me how to play ninja. Makoto is Asuka's friend, I don't know much about him but he seems nice. We're all in the same class and our sensei's name is__ Genma-sensei, but__ Asuka calls him toothpick-sensei." Otou-san laughed__. "Ne, Otou-san, do you want to play ninja with me?"_

_"Sorry sweetheart, I'm tired. Maybe tomorrow."_

_"Ok! Then can you teach me how to throw shuriken?"_

_"I'll teach you when you get older."_

_"Awww." I pouted._

_"If you want, I can show you a special shuriken."_

_"Really?" Otou-san nodded and took a strangely shaped piece of metal out of his bag. __"That doesn't look like a shuriken to me." __He flicked his wrist and, like magic, the single blade split into four. "Wow! It looks just like a windmill!" I exclaimed._

_"This is called a fuuma shuriken. After you learn how to throw normal shuriken, I'll teach you how to use it." I nodded and Otou-san put me down._

_I ran into the dining room, shouting, "Okaa-san, come see Otou-san's __special fuuma shuriken!"_

* * *

_"Yuzuki-chan!" I shouted, running towards my friend. "Why are we arranging flowers? __I thought we were supposed to spar and learn how to use weapons." _

_"Kurenai-sensei says that kunoichis have to obtain a wide range of knowledge about being a woman and not just ninja techniques. If a kunoichi is in enemy territory and cannot act like a regular woman, they will have trouble spying."_

_"It's not fair. Why do the boys get to do all the fun stuff while we do flower arrangements? I want to throw shuriken too!" I said, pouting and then sighing. __"What do we do now?" _

_"I've seen my mom do it before. All we have to do is find some flowers and arrange them so they look nice."_

_"Ok!" _

* * *

_"Tenten!" Asuka shouted from the other end of the playground. "Let's play ninja."_

_"Yuzuki-chan, are you coming?" I asked. She shook her head._

_"Ninja is for boys."_

_"But it's so fun!" I grabbed her hand. "Come on, just try it." She yanked her hand out of mine._

_"I'm going home," she said and left._

_"Tenten?" Asuka walked towards me. I glanced at my friend for a second before going with Asuka. _

* * *

_I threw the shuriken and they hit the bullseye of all three targets. _

_"Well done," Genma-sensei praised me and I beamed. _

_"Wow, you're better than me," Asuka admitted, rubbing the back of his head._

_"Otou-san taught me last week," I explained._

_"Can he teach me too?" Makoto asked and several other boys nodded._

_"He's on a mission. When he gets back, he's going to teach me how to use a fuuma shuriken!"_

_"What's that?" the boy two seats behind me, Seiko, questioned._

_"Otou-san said that it's an enormous shuriken which is held by the hole at the center. It has four blades that can be sheathed as one. When it's opened up, it looks like a windmill. That's why it's also called-"_

_"Shadow Windmill Shuriken," Kazuya interrupted. _

_"How do you know?" Asuka asked, looking slightly annoyed._

_"Unlike some people, I actually bother to study."_

_"Why you-" Asuka was about to punch him, but Genma-sensei stopped him. _

_"That's enough," he said sternly, which made Asuka calm down. _

_"At least I don't have a ten foot pole up my-" he stopped when he saw Genma-sensei's glare._

_"Everyone, I want you to go home and practice. You will be tested on it next week." After that, we went back to class to be dismissed. __I was packing my bag when I heard Chikane, the most popular girl in class, talking to her friends._

_"She's such a flirt, spending so much time with the boys," she said._

_"Can you believe that she could actually hit the bullseye when Kazuya-kun couldn't?"_

_"No way, she probably cheated or something." They all started laughing and my fists clenched unconsciously, but I continued my task._

_"If she did, there's no way that she'll be able to in the-"_

_"Shut up!" Asuka shouted from beside me, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Just because your precious Kazuya-kun couldn't do it, doesn't mean Tenten cheated!" he retorted and the three girls fell silent. _

_"Kazuya-kun is the best in our class. Why would she be better than him?" Kazuya, who was walking past the five of us, heard what Chikane said._

_"You shouldn't insult others because of their skill," he commented before leaving the room. Chikane and her friends ignored Asuka and I as they pushed past us to follow Kazuya._

* * *

_"Okaa-san," I said, holding panda-chan and walking out of my room and into the living room. "I can't sleep" Okaa-san was sitting on the sofa so I __climbed into her lap. __"Okaa-san? What's Otou-san's katana doing here?" At the mention of Otou-san, Okaa-san's eyes started brimming with tears. "Okaa-san, why are you crying? Did something happen? Where's Otou-san?"_

_"Tenten-chan," she said, dabbing her eyes. "Otou-san is... on a special mission."_

_"Special mission?" _

_Okaa-san nodded. __"He won't be back for a while."_

_"But I wanted him to show me how to use a fuuma shuriken," I whined._

_"You'll have to wait until he...gets back."_

_"Ok," I jumped off her lap and ran towards my room. I stopped at the doorway, turned my head back and shouted to Okaa-san. "Maybe if I go to sleep now, he'll be back tomorrow! Good night Okaa-san."_

* * *

_Several months later..._

_"Okaa-san..." I said in between sniffles, my tears leaving a wet trail on my cheeks. "Is Otou-san really..."_

_"I shouldn't have lied to you. I'm so-__" she was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit._

_"Okaa-san!" I started crying even harder. "Are you... are you going to leave like...Otou-san?"_

_"Oh Tenten-chan," she raised a hand and used her thumb to brush away the tears from my eyes. "My time has come. I...I only wish that I could see you grow up and become an excellent shinobi... Just like your father was."_

_"No!" I threw myself onto her, wrapping my arms around her body. She was as cold as ice, but I didn't care. "I don't want you to leave." I felt a hand lightly stroking my long hair. Her own was lying limply on the pillow, surrounding her face which was as white as the winter snow that was beginning to fall outside the window._

_"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her dulling brown eyes started closing and I began shaking her; trying but failing, to make her open her eyes again. I felt that if her eyes closed, they would never open again. The hand on the top of my head fell onto the bed. I grasped it tightly and squeezed it._

_"Okaa-san, please wake up!" I shouted, refusing to believe that my Okaa-san was gone. My scream echoed throughout the house, yet there was no one around to hear it except for me. "Okaa-san!"_

* * *

"Okaa-san!" I screamed, opening my eyes and sitting up abruptly. The motion sent a sudden wave of pain coursing through my right arm,. My thoughts were hazy and my mind was reeling. As I was about to collapse back onto the bed, I felt someone's hands on my back, supporting me for a moment before gently lowering me back on the pillows. "Where am I?" 

"You're in the hospital," a voice explained. I used my left hand to shield my eyes from the bright light. The pain had receded to a dull throb and my vision swirled back into focus. I saw someone standing beside my bed.

"Neji? What happened?" My voice was hoarse from the lack of use. Neji handed me a glass of water and I gulped it down gratefully. After I finished, Neji took the glass from me, placed it on bed side table and started explaining.

"You were badly injured during the battle yesterday. Luckily, there was a medic on the Chuunin team. If they hadn't arrived in time..."

I held up a hand, signaling him to stop. His words weren't making any sense to me. I concentrated, trying to recall. "Oh," I murmured as everything clicked, "I remember now. Are you and Lee alright?"

"Yeah. Both of us are fine."

"What about Gai-sensei and that plant freak?"

"Gai-sensei captured him. He's currently pending trial." He paused for a short while. "How's your arm?"

"Painful," I replied, trying to get up again. Neji stood up from his chair and eased me into a sitting position.

"You should be more careful. If you exert yourself, the wound will open up again," he said.

"Why are you here?" Neji raised an eyebrow at my question and I blushed. "Err...I mean-"

"I'm sorry." I sat there gaping at him. "If I had been a better leader, you wouldn't have gotten hurt." He was staring at the table beside my bed, refusing to make eye contact with me. For some reason, I felt kind of sad that he was here because he felt guilty. Yet, a part of me was also slightly flattered that he cared enough about me to feel this way. It was so strange...

I wonder if Lee and Gai-sensei's craziness is contagious.

"Neji, it's not your fault. Lee and I were the ones who chose to stay behind...and I... wasn't strong enough. If I was, I wouldn't have gotten injured in the first place," I paused to let my words sink in. Apparently, they did. Neji raised his head and his pupiless eyes met my chocolate brown ones. "So you shouldn't blame yourself."

"Tenten," Neji said softly. I love the way my name sounds when Neji says it. It just sounded so... right. He was opening his mouth to continue, but was cut off when the door opened and hit the wall with a loud crash. Two almost identical people, clad in green, burst into the room.

"Tenten! My beautiful flower full of youth! When Lee told me that you were injured, we immediately rushed here to see you!" Gai announced, blinding Neji and I with his grin, complete with realistic "pinging" sound and sparkles.

"Tenten-san!" Lee tackled me into a hug. "How is your injury? I hope that you're feeling better so that you will not waste the springtime of your youth! Come, together we shall run into the everlasting sunset with Gai-sensei!

"Can't breathe," I choked out.

"Get off her," Neji said coldly, glaring at Lee who obliged.

"Oww," I moaned, massaging my bandaged arm.

"I'm so sorry, Tenten-san! I didn't mean to-"

"Never mind," I said, knowing where this would be going. "What's that?" I asked, pointing to a bottle of greenish brown liquid that Gai-sensei was holding.

"That is the special tea that Lee and I spent the whole morning making for you! If you drink it, I guarantee that you will get better in no time at all!" He grabbed a glass from the table and poured the "tea" into it. "Go on, drink it!" I sniffed at it and a sharp, pungent smell filled my nose.

"What is it made of?" I asked, pinching my nose tightly.

"Does it matter?" Lee shrugged. "Just drink it." I took a small sip and started coughing violently. I think I nearly died. It tasted horrible! I don't think I want to know what they put in it to make it taste so dreadful. Especially since I just drank some of it. Neji looked like he had anticipated this since he was ready with another glass that was filled with water. I snatched it from him and downed it to wash the taste from my mouth.

Lee and Gai-sensei were looking at me with little stars in their eyes. "How is it?" Gai-sensei asked and Lee held his breath in anticipation.

"It's...interesting. Thanks for trying."... To poison me.

"You must drink it all!" Lee proclaimed, handing me the bottle.

"Maybe later," I lied, placing it on the table beside my bed.

"Tenten, we must leave you to rest," Gai-sensei gave me a nice guy pose and addressed the only other sane person in the room. "Neji, as your sensei, I order you to stay here and look after your teammate until she recovers."

"Neji-kun, take good care of Tenten-san," Lee added.

"Lee, let us enjoy the youthful afternoon!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Both of them saluted me and proceeded to jump out of the window.

* * *

"You really don't have to do this," I said to Neji who was pacing up and down. He had been here for the last three hours since I woke up. 

"It's fine," he said, sitting down on his chair. A nurse suddenly entered the room, carrying a tray of food. She glanced at me and then at Neji. Smiling knowingly, she placed it on the table and left quickly. I rolled my eyes.

I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday so I was extremely hungry. Unfortunately, I didn't know how to use my left hand to eat. Pathetic really. I can throw any weapon you care to name with my left hand, yet I couldn't even lift a spoon without dropping the food on it.

Cursing my inability, I tried to pick up another spoonful of food, but the spoon was plucked from my fingers by Neji as he sat on the bed next to me. "If you continue dropping your food, you're never going to get anything to eat," he said calmly, scooping up some rice and placing it near my mouth. Blushing, I opened my mouth and moved my head slightly forward to eat.

"Do you want some?" I asked in between mouthfuls of food. Neji shook his head and continued feeding me. I refused to open my mouth. "If you don't eat I won't-" I was cut off when he shoved the spoon into my mouth. I nearly choked, but thankfully managed to swallow it. "What was that for, Hyuga?"

"You need to eat. I'll get something later."

"Fine," I pouted slightly as Neji smirked.

After I finished my lunch, I was staring at the ceiling while Neji was looking out of the window.

"What happened?" Neji asked suddenly, causing me to raise an eyebrow at him. "When you woke up."

"Oh...That..." I stared at the crisp white bed sheets and gripped the blanket tightly. "When I was young, my father was a ninja and he died in a mission. My mother's health was never all that great. When she heard the news, she fell sick from the grief and died a few months after," I explained quietly, bowing my head so that my bangs would hide my tearing eyes. Even though it's already been five years, I still missed them so much...

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright," I said, raising my head and smiling softly at Neji. An awkward silence ensued.

"Maybe you should try to get some rest," he said, standing up and heading for the door. "I'll be back later." He closed the door behind him, leaving me alone in the room. He must have been hungry... I giggled at the thought and snuggled into the pillows, enjoying the warmth. Slowly, but surely, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_I was trudging aimlessly around Konoha. The entire village was covered in a blanket of white. The crystals in the snow were sparkling in the dim light that filtered from the houses. My boots were filled with the white, powdery substance. My jacket wasn't thick enough, and I was shivering from the cold, but I paid it no heed and continued on my way. _

_As I walked, I found a bench. Tired from my journey, I sat down on it and studied the scenery. It was as beautiful as always, with the whiteness contrasting perfectly with the darkness of the night. Then I recognized where I was. Otou-san, Okaa-san and I used to come here every year to play in the snow. Happy memories flooded my mind and I realized...They were really..._

_"Otou-san...Okaa-san... why?" I asked the stars that were shining in __the inky blackness of the sky above. Maybe, just maybe... if I wished hard enough, they would come back. Suddenly, I felt like crying, yet the tears wouldn't fall. I had been crying for two whole days, so it wasn't much of a surprise._

_"What are you doing?" An unfamiliar voice called out. I whipped my head around, trying to find the source of the voice. A figure appeared from the shadows behind me. A strange person about my height with long coffee brown hair, bandages around his head, and the most bizarre eyes that were staring right at me approached. _

_"N-nothing," I replied, unable to keep the shudder out of my voice. "Are you a g-ghost?"_

_"No," he scoffed, sitting on the bench next to me. __"Were you crying?" I nodded. _

_"My Otou-san and Okaa-san are gone... and...and they're never coming back," I wailed, threatening to burst into tears again. __My benchmate was looking at me with a puzzled expression on his pale face. _

_"Uhh... Don't cry," he said gently, his gaze softening. "I'm sure everything will be alright in the end," he said awkwardly. I sniffled slightly. There was something comforting about his presence. He sounded so much more mature, yet he couldn't have been more than a year older than me. "My mother died when I was a baby and my father... passed away two years ago."_

_"Oh," I muttered, rubbing the tears out of my eyes. "Aren't you lonely?" He looked at his lap and did not answer my question._

_"My father once told me that when a loved one dies, they always watch over and protect those left behind."_

_"Really?" I jumped off the bench and ran to the middle of the snow covered field. "Otou-san! Okaa-san! If you can hear me, I want to say that I love both of you!" I shouted as loudly as I could. I could have sworn that I heard someone call my name, but when I turned around, no one was there. "He's gone," I told myself..._

_"Thank you, whoever you are..."_

* * *

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself surrounded in darkness and a weight on my leg. Was I asleep for that long? 

A pale shaft of moonlight was filtering in through the window, casting a beautiful and somewhat eerie glow on the person on the chair beside my bed. Neji was sitting on the stool leaning forwards, his arms and head resting on my thigh. He was sleeping peacefully, his warm breath tickling me through the sheets. Wow, he must have been really tired.

Trying to move as little as possible, I sat up and draped an extra blanket with quite some difficulty on Neji who moaned slightly before his breathing returned to an even pace. Out of pure curiosity, I stroked his hair, which was fanned out on the bed around his head. It was so soft and smooth, probably more than my own. I made a mental note to ask him what shampoo he uses.

As I was playing with his hair, he gave a little sigh of... content? Looking at my sleeping teammate's face, I realized something. Why didn't I see it before? Neji was the boy from all those years ago...

"Arigato, Neji," I whispered.

"Hn..." he replied softly, yet his eyes remained closed.

* * *

Author's Note: 

YAY! Fluffiness! I love fluff. Sorry for the delay in this chapter, I had a slight block, but it got cleared up after some discussion with my sis and friend.

_Translations: _

_Okaa-san - Mother_

_Otou-san - Father_

_Arigato - Thank you._

Dedicated to and beta read by Midnight Memories. I would have posted sooner if she finished it faster... oh well, no harm done. At least it's mistake free. :)

If anyone has any requests or suggestions, leave a review or PM me.

That's it for now.


	17. A Day in the Life of Hyuga Neji

Disclaimer: I'll buy it when I get the cash...

* * *

**_Note: This chapter is in Neji's point of view._**

* * *

"Neji!" I heard my female teammate call out. Raising my head a fraction, I saw Tenten running towards me, waving. Her arm was no longer bandaged, but I could still see the faint scars marring the paler skin of her arm. "Sorry I'm late," she said, panting heavily. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead despite the coolness of the air. I grunted a 'hn' in reply, uncrossing my arms which had been folded across my chest. I had expected this. After all, this was the first time she was training since she was discharged two weeks ago. 

"You have to take it easy for today," I announced, earning a groan from the girl beside me.

"But I wanted to practice a new jutsu-"

"The doctor told you not to exert yourself until you've recovered," I cut her off.

"Neji, I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I've never felt bett- Ouch!" She gasped when I tapped her arm lightly.

"If I let you train in this state, Lee and Gai would murder me," I said.

"But-" she started before sighing in defeat, " I just can't win, can I?"

I felt the ends of my lips curve upwards into a small smirk as I settled into a basic taijutsu stance to begin our daily kata. Tenten sighed and did the same. Both of us performed a series of punches and kicks in the air. At first, Tenten was slower than me but eventually she fell into rhythm and executed the moves exactly the same time as I did. As the motions grew more complex with the addition of steps and turns, Tenten started having some trouble with them.

"Your punches are usually higher," I commented, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.

"I know," she said, faltering slightly when she chopped the air with her right hand. "I must be out of practice." Stopping in mid kick, I spun gracefully on my heel to face her. "Neji?" she said my name in a questioning albeit shocked tone when I stood behind her and gently held her wrist.

"Your form is wrong," I explained, proceeding to guide her hands through the pattern of actions that we choreographed together months ago. As I instructed her on the leg movements, I unconsciously relaxed and observed with slight interest how soft her hands felt despite having held numerous weapons over the years. A light floral scent filled the air around us, but I don't remember there being any flowers in our training area...

"Thanks, Neji," Tenten's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Then I realized that she was standing in the starting stance, which meant that the kata had already ended.

"Hn," I replied, releasing her wrists quickly and resuming my warm-up.

* * *

For the next half an hour, we did our own individual exercises without much conversation. I was doing my own special kata consisting of Jyuken stances while Tenten was idly throwing various weapons at straw dummies, hitting the target every time. Once we completed our warm up, we took a short break and I started planning the rest of the session. Normally I would practice my Kaiten against Tenten's weapon barrages followed by sparring, but this was out of the question. At least for today. 

We had been thinking for the past fifteen minutes and Tenten was starting to fidget. "Well, what are we going to do?" Tenten asked, "There's no point in just sitting here."

"What do you want to do?" I asked, giving her a choice since I was out of ideas.

"I want to practice my new jutsu," she stated firmly.

"No," I said instantly. When the words 'new jutsu' registered in my mind, I remembered the jutsu I had seen Hiashi-sama teaching Hinata-sama a few days ago in the dojo before I was asked to leave. I concluded that it was most likely one of the jutsus exclusive to those of the main house, so I would never get to learn it. Unless...

I stood up and walked into the middle of the clearing, recalling the stance Hiashi-sama was demonstrating. I stood with my left leg in front and right leg behind, both bent at forty five degrees. I lifted my arms, the right being higher than the left and locked my elbows, forming a straight line. Bending my back slightly and angling my head to face the front, I imitated the stance exactly.

"What are you doing?" Tenten called out from behind me. I heard her approaching me, her feet crushing the dry multi-coloured leaves that littered the ground. I was too deep in concentration to think of a reply.

I shifted my weight to the foot behind, took a step forward with the one in front and spun on my left heel a full one hundred and eighty degrees. Sliding my right foot on the ground, I turned my upper torso towards my right and struck empty air with my second and third fingers, the rest closed over my palm. Smirking in triumph, I returned to the starting position and repeated the actions at a faster pace while trying to maintain the correct form as Tenten watched with wide eyes.

When I was sure that I could perform the movements perfectly, I asked Tenten to set up a training dummy a meter away from me. She obliged and I did the the same movements, hitting the dummy and leaving behind two small holes in the stuffing.

"It doesn't look very effective," she remarked. I couldn't help but agree with her. Why would this jutsu be a secret if this was all it did? There must be something more to it. I started thinking of the most basic Hyuga techniques since this jutsu was most likely developed from them. From an early age, we were trained to use chakra to enhance our attacks. If this followed the same principle, perhaps this skill could be more interesting than I thought. Concentrating chakra at the tips of my fingers, I tried again. This time, the holes were larger and deeper, but it still didn't do much damage.

"Is this a new jutsu?" I nodded in reply, my mouth twitching in annoyance as I returned to a normal standing position. "Is there any way I can help?" Her assistance would be appreciated, but she probably wouldn't be able to figure it out either. Still, it was worth a try. I explained the situation to her. "I've never heard of a jutsu like that," she admitted with a shrug before her quizzical expression became a thoughtful one. "Maybe you need to use your byakugan," she suggested.

"It's possible," I said, activating byakugan. The world faded into black and white and my range of vision increased dramatically. The surrounding forest was teeming with the heat as well as chakra signatures of various wildlife, including Lee's precious squirrels. I repeated the technique again on the dummy, but there wasn't much of a difference.

"Well?" Tenten asked from beside me and I turned my head to look at her briefly. Contrary to her belief, I cannot see through her clothes. What I can see is the chakra that is flowing through her body through her chakra coil system. It was likely that the jutsu had something to do with the chakra system, since the gentle fist style of combat attacks the body's chakra circulatory system. However, the gentle fist style uses palm thrusts to effectively force large amounts chakra into the opponents chakra circulatory system to do more damage. Yet, this jutsu only used two fingers, which meant that it was only attacking a certain point or points in the chakra system.

Then it hit me. According to the scrolls that I studied, the byakugan is supposed to have the ability to see the individual chakra points. However, I never actually used the skill since I didn't have it, but it seemed to be the key to solving this puzzle. I channeled more chakra into my eyes, focusing on a single, smaller area of Tenten's chakra. I could make out small areas where the chakra was more concentrated, but it wasn't easy.

"I need to train my byakugan," I stated, deactivating byakugan. Tenten stared at me, confusion evident in her chocolate brown eyes. "Byakugan seems to be a requirement for this jutsu. According to this reasoning, I need to train it so it will develop sufficiently for me to use the jutsu."

"What is it supposed to do?" she asked skeptically.

"It's a Hyuga technique, so it must be powerful," I shrugged. Truth to be told, I wasn't sure what it was supposed to do myself.

"Why don't you ask someone about it? I'm sure they would know something."

"It's a main house technique," I said quietly, clenching my fists in anger at the unfairness of being denied the right to learn Hyuga techniques just because I was in the branch house.

"Oh," Tenten gasped. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's fine. Even if the clan refuses to teach it to me, I'll show them that I can succeed on my own," my voice was filled with determination.

"You're not alone Neji. I promise that I'll do everything I can to help." I raised my eyes to meet hers. They were shining with warmth and sincerity.

"Thanks," I said softly, earning a big grin from my teammate.

"Well then, we'd better get started," she chirped happily. "What do you want to do first?"

* * *

We started off by testing accuracy. I was using byakugan to count the number of birds within the fifty meter range while Tenten threw kunai near them so they'd fly out of the trees, our way of double-checking. So far there wasn't much of a problem in that area. After that, we set up three wooden boards in the middle of our training area. Tenten would hide a kunai behind one of them and I would have to tell her which board it was behind. It was quite easy to see through the boards at first, but when we progressed to smaller objects like senbon, it got much harder. 

Using byakugan for extended periods of time takes up a lot of chakra. Before the morning was over, I was exhausted. While I rested, Tenten was lazily tossing shuriken at a tree, forming a neat row across the bark.

"Neji?" she asked, flinging yet another shuriken at the tree.

"Hn?"

"I just wanted to-"

"MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS!" A loud scream echoed throughout the clearing. Tenten turned her head in the direction of its source. I didn't even need to bother. There is only one person I know who would ever say something like that... "Would you care to- WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TRAINING, NOT SITTING ON THE GROUND DOING NOTHING!"

"We were training. We're just taking a break," Tenten said, rolling her eyes.

"Tenten-san," Gai's miniature addressed my sparring partner, "If you were training, why do you still look so youthful and refreshed when Neji-" Lee cut off suddenly and his eyes widened, "OH MY GOODNESS! Did you defeat my eternal rival in a sparring match?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Lee, it's not-" Tenten started.

"I'm not worthy to be in your presence!" Lee shouted, kowtowing repeatedly. "You must tell me. How did you do it?" Tenten slapped her forehead in response.

"Lee," I tried to explain what really happened before...

"Gai-sensei! I'm a failure! Tenten-san is more youthful than me!" Lee cried, his tears flowing like a waterfall.

"Lee, it's not your fault! It's Neji's for losing to a girl!" Gai declared. Tenten's eyes were shining with merriment as she bit her lip, obviously trying not to laugh. I was fighting the urge to Jyuken both of them into next week.

"Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

**"SENSEI!"**

**"LEE!" **

I tried meditating in an effort block out their noise. At this rate, they wouldn't be done for another hour or so. Hopefully, my chakra would have restored itself by then and I would be able to give them a taste of a Hyuga's wrath.

* * *

Surprisingly, Lee and Gai's rant on youth had lasted for a quarter of its usual time. Fifteen minutes was hardly long enough for me to regain enough chakra, so they would be spared for today. After they had completed their speech, Gai practically dragged us into the village towards some unknown location. 

"What are we doing here?" Tenten asked, gesturing at the building in front of us. Gai blinded her with his grin.

"I want to celebrate our youth as a team by treating you all to lunch!" I wasn't too interested in the first half of it, but it was already noon and I was quite hungry. Tenten shrugged, her lack of enthusiasm clear from her expression.

"But Gai-sensei, I thought that we were-" Gai clapped a hand on Lee's mouth to prevent him from continuing and whispered into his ear in a conspirational way. I wasn't able to follow their conversation, but I could make out the words "secret" and "key to defeating" and "Neji" by reading Gai's lips. Narrowing my eyes, I glared at the two almost identical ninja. I wasn't too worried about what they were planning since this was _Lee _he was talking to.

"Now, where were we?" Gai asked as though nothing happened. "Oh yes! Now we shall enjoy our youthful afternoon together!" he declared as Lee saluted. Both of them marched into the restaurant while Tenten and I followed a few steps behind.

"Welcome," the man at the counter greeted us cheerfully, gesturing for us to sit at one of the tables. The restaurant was rather plain, with wooden flooring and the occasional painting decorating the pink walls. There were a few people sitting at small square tables, which were arranged evenly throughout the room. Gai chose a table near the back in a corner of the shop and we sat down. I was sitting next to Tenten with Gai opposite me. Lee was sitting beside him. A waiter placed four menus on the table and I casually scanned through it. I grimaced when I saw the number of alcoholic drinks.

I ordered some onigiri and miso soup while Tenten had udon. Lee and Gai shared a sushi platter. The latter asked for a bottle of sake. Lee and Gai were jubilantly discussing their youthfulness as they ate an unbelievably large amount of sushi. Gai had drunk almost a whole bottle of sake, yet showed no signs of drunkenness except for being excessively noisy. Lee was adding considerably to the racket without the aid of alcohol. Tenten was too busy staring incredulously at the two of them to eat her noodles. I simply ignored them and ate in silence.

"Lee, why are you not eating the wasabi? Sushi tastes best when eaten with it," Gai said.

"I am not too fond of wasabi," Lee replied through a mouthful of rice and egg.

"Lee! You should not dislike any food!" Gai shouted, banging his fist on the table, causing a few people in the vicinity to look at him. "In order to fully experience your blooming youth, you must be adventurous and eat all kinds of food!" Gai climbed on top of his chair, making a strange pose. As I was marveling at the absurdity of such a statement, Lee was starry eyed, gaping with awe at Gai.

"Yes! Gai-sensei!" Lee stood up abruptly, "I shall prove my youth by eating wasabi. If I cannot do that I shall eat wasabi for the rest of my life!"

"That's the spirit, Lee!" Lee gingerly picked up a small portion of the green paste with his chopsticks and hesitated briefly before popping it into his mouth. He was expressionless for several seconds. Suddenly, his face turned completely red and he grasped his throat with his hands while making strange choking noises. Eyes bulging, he dived for the nearest cup on the table and chugged down the contents. His face returned to its natural colour and he dropped the cup and collapsed onto his chair.

"Lee, are you ok?" Tenten asked, leaning over the table to check on Lee.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine," Gai said confidently, tapping Lee's shoulder. "Lee?" The only response was a high pitched giggle. "I wasn't talking to you Tenten," Gai snapped.

"That wasn't me," she hissed, glaring at our sensei. It was true, Tenten's laugh didn't sound like... _that_. Another girlish laugh, louder this time, echoed throughout the restaurant and everyone turned their heads and stared at the source of the noise. From his place beside Gai, Lee was giggling to himself. His eyes were unfocused and bleary and his cheeks were red. A large grin was plastered onto his face as he hiccoughed. My eyes snapped downwards as I spotted the cup that was lying on the floor. Lee just had to ingeniously drink Gai's sake. Well it was only a small cup, I'm sure he wouldn't be-

"Lee?" Gai waved a hand in front of Lee's face.

"Where -hic- am I?" Lee asked, looking around the room looking geniuinely puzzled. "Huh? What's going on?" I was barely able to make out what he was saying through his slurring.

"Lee! What happened to you?!?" Gai screamed, shaking Lee madly by the shoulders.

"Gai-sensei? I don't feel so good," his face turned green and Tenten and I jumped out of our seats and got out of the way.

"He's drunk," I stated what was supposed to be obvious.

"But he's too young to drink!" Gai gasped.

"You're the one who ordered sake! Lee must have drank it by mistake," Tenten snapped. Gai's jaw dropped as he started stuttering, trying to come up with a retort.

"Gai-sensei, I-I-" Lee slurred before his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped onto the ground, unconscious.

"LEE!" Gai screamed, "NOOOO!!! YOU ARE TOO YOUTHFUL TO DIE!!!" A loud snore broke the silence that followed Gai's outburst.

"He's only asleep," Tenten said, glancing feverently at the doorway. She was probably feeling as embarrassed as I was. Gai's commotion had caused several people to stop in their tracks and peer curiously into the shop. Hiashi-sama was going to murder me for bringing shame to the clan...

* * *

I suggested leaving and Tenten nodded hurriedly in agreement. Gai was bending down to about to pick his miniature up when Lee suddenly leapt off the ground, knocking the table into the wall. The table broke in half with a resounding crack and the porcelain bowls smashed onto the floor. 

"What? What do you want?" Lee asked, getting into a fighting stance.

"Lee, what are you doing? Stop this immediately!" Gai ordered. Tenten was standing in a corner, gaping and ovbiously too shocked to speak.

"Who are you? Why am I here?" Lee slurred.

"Lee! How could you forget me?" Gai sobbed. Lee looked unaffected as he swayed from side to side. "I am your sensei! And these are your teammates!"

"I don't know you... Why would I have two girls for teammates?" My eye twitched in irritation as Tenten burst into peals of laughter. I've been putting up with the imbeciles with such limited mental capacity that they thought I was a girl for the last twelve years. It's not my fault that long hair was the traditional hairstyle for Hyuga males. Even though he was drunk, I was still extremely tempted give him the beating I promised earlier.

"Wow, the world is spinning..." he said, changing the subject abruptly. "I feel like dancing!" he exclaimed. My eyebrows nearly disappeared into my hairline and Tenten was staring at Lee as though he was crazy. The spectators were laughing amusedly at the sight of the intoxicated shinobi prancing around room. Gai was chasing him, lunging at him every now and then, trying to catch him. Lee was still able to successfully dodge every single time.

"Shouldn't we help?" Tenten asked, nudging me.

"He's only drunk," I sighed, "The worst that could happen is him acting like and idiot. Not like that's anything different." There was a loud crash as Lee pirouetted right into one of the wooden columns that supported the ceiling. The people in the restaurant screamed and began running out of the place as quickly as they could. "Tenten, stay here," I said. She wouldn't be able to stop Lee with her arm still injured and she would probably hurt herself by trying. Tenten nodded and I found her lack of argument surprising. Immediately, I joined Gai in his effort to restrain Lee before he did even more damage. Which was exactly what he proceeded to do.

* * *

"You must be my enemies! I will make Gai-sensei proud and defeat you!" he announced, his eyes brightening with resolve. He tried to do his so-called "dynamic entry" and kicked through several tables and chairs in the process, missing all three of us by a mile. Lee grabbed a shelf and heaved it towards my general direction. It slid across the floor and skidded to a halt just outside the door, not even coming close to hitting me. No doubt the influence of alcohol was affecting his aim. 

I winced as the sound of shattering glass pierced the air when Lee began throwing all the crockery he could get his hands on. I nearly sighed in relief when the barrage of bowls and plates stopped, only to curse inwardly when Lee progressed to throwing the cutlery. I caught the knife that was whizzing a hair's breadth away from my ear and used it to defend myself from the rest of the utensils that were coming my way. I could just imagine what Hanabi would say if she saw me in this predicament...

I was too engrossed in my own task to notice what Gai was doing. Well, he was a Jounin so I shouldn't be worried about him. I concentrated on moving forwards, hoping to get close enough to Lee and knock him out, since he wasn't going to fall unconscious like most people when drunk.

I forgot that Lee didn't fit into that category.

The second Lee ran out of projectiles, he started leaping and twirling around the room. Again. I had no idea whether he was doing it on purpose or not. Perhaps it was his creative way of destroying furniture. With every step, he demolished everything in sight. Even the combined effort of Gai and myself was unable to stop him. Without the columns for support, the ceiling was starting to crack and the rafters were beginning to splinter break from the strain.

"Gai-sensei, I feel-" Lee groaned just as the ceiling started to collapse.

"We have to get out of here!" Tenten gasped. Gai was holding up his hands to shield himself from the debris. One of the beams nearly fell on top of me but I caught hold of it in time. Staggering under the weight, I pushed it away and it landed on the floor. Pulling Tenten out of the way of a particularly large chunk of cement, both of us ran out of the former restaurant. Gai, not far behind, grabbed a protesting Lee and hauled him outside. Just as he stepped out of the building, a tile which decorated what was the roof fell onto his head. Sadly, it wasn't enough to kill him, but it did knock him out.

So much for being a Jounin...

* * *

The restaurant was wrecked. I was unable to determine the full extent of the damage due to the thick clouds of dust which were surrounding the area, but it would cost Lee a fortune to pay for the mess he caused. Lee was completely oblivious to his surroundings and the small crowd, that had gathered to see what was going on, was being entertained by his dancing. With Gai incapacitated, I was left with the duty of preventing Lee from causing even more havoc. 

I rushed forward and tried to hit the pressure point on the back of his neck. Lee launched himself into the air and landed behind me. Lee wasn't that bad ... when drunk.

I whirled around to try again. Strangely, he was still able to fight back in his drunken state. He engaged me in a short yet somewhat interesting fight in which he used a style completely different from the mechanical, almost rehearsed one which he usually utilized. Every blow that wasn't countered or blocked was dodged either by contorting his body into shapes that I once deemed impossible by human standards or by his constant swaying. I was having some difficulty in evading his attacks since his moves were completely unpredictable. My reputation was going down the drain and I was nowhere close to stopping Lee's rampage.

It was the last straw when he slapped me. I had half a mind to kill him. The other half wanted to torture him first.

A hand gripped my wrist tightly, stopping me from finally getting a hit on Lee. "Neji," Gai said sternly. He just had to wake up, didn't he. I got the point and lowered my other hand which was half raised in preparation for the next attack.

"Gai-sensei! Look at what I can do!" Then I noticed that Lee was no longer in front of me. Instead, he was balancing with one hand on top of a chair. The chair was supported by only two legs and it was tipping back and forth dangerously, threatening to fall off the shelf it was on.

"Lee, get down!" Gai shouted, holding up his arms in case Lee fell.

"You're going to hurt yourself," Tenten added.

"Be awed by my youthfulness! Gai-sensei! I will make you proud!" Lee shouted, punching the hand that once on the chair into the air. Needless to say, Lee promptly fell from his perch atop the chair. If he wasn't a ninja, he would have broken his head, but since he was one, he used his hands to break his fall and flipped into a standing position. While his guard was down, Gai and I took the opportunity to grab hold of him. Lee was screaming and struggling madly, trying to break free from our grasp. I was nearly forced to release him, but I gritted my teeth and held on.

* * *

"Maybe we should have stayed," Tenten said guiltily, fingering the shuriken in her hand and throwing it at the target, hitting the bullseye. 

"Gai will handle it," I said, deactivating byakugan. After we subdued Lee, Tenten and I had left to train; leaving Gai, along with a finally unconscious Lee, to explain everything to the owner. "It was his fault that Lee drank sake."

"I guess," Tenten agreed, uncertainty in her tone.

"What did you want to tell me?" I asked. Tenten stared at me quizzically. "Before Lee and Gai showed up." I took out several kunai, hurling one at the sole target in our training area. Usually there would have more, but we were too lazy to set them all up. The kunai hit the target, landing on the bullseye right next to Tenten's shuriken.

"Oh." Realization dawned in her eyes. "I just wanted to say thanks for looking after me when I was injured," she smiled.

I was slightly confused. Why did she need to thank me for something so trivial? After all, she is my teammate. _So is Lee... _a traitorous voice in my mind added. I brushed the comment aside. I was about to give her my customary reply, but I decided against it.

"You're welcome." I let a small smirk cross my lips for a second before my face returned to its usual emotionless expression.

* * *

Authors Note: 

Hey! I hope you liked this chapter, I've been dying to do a Neji chapter for ages and I decided to combine it with the drunk Lee scenario. More fluffiness. :)

I'm very sorry to say that I won't be able to update for awhile. My exams are nearing. (gulp) Which means I have to start mugging. Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as the exams are over. After the exams, I'll be updating as frequently as possible.

Thanks to my beta-reader Midnight Memories for rescuing me out of the swamp of grammar, commas and spelling mistakes.

Oh well, I better get started on my homework/revision. (glares at the foot tall stack of papers and notes) Chinese is evil. So is History, Literature and all those other subjects...


	18. Cutting Grass: Konoha's Blooming Lotus

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it. But I do own the OCs.

* * *

A couple of days had passed since Lee's... little incident. By then, my arm had healed completely so Neji had to lighten up and let me train. We hadn't received a mission since the last one. Considering that our last C-rank mission didn't go too well, it was highly likely that we'd be stuck with D-ranks for quite some time. We should have at least gotten credit for surviving.

Moving on from that disastrous mission, Neji has been undergoing intense training to improve his byakugan. All I know is that it has something to do with that weird poking jutsu he was trying the other day. I suppose Neji knows what he's doing. At least I hope he does.

Other than that, our training sessions have progressed normally and have been devoid of any interruptions from Gai-sensei and his clone.

* * *

The air was punctuated with loud clangs as Neji's shuriken met mine, followed by several dull thumps as the rest of the projectiles hit the dirt. I landed heavily on the ground, making sure not to step on anything sharp or pointy, panting for air. Neji was only in a slightly better shape than I was. We had been sparring for the last hour. The only reason I had lasted that long was because Neji was more tired than I was, due to extensive usage of his byakugan before we began.

Jumping up and using my chakra to keep myself airborne, I began a final barrage of weapons. They were all deflected by Neji's Kaiten, but Neji's rotation was slower than before. Thinking quickly, I whipped a kunai out of my holster upon landing and charged towards Neji as he stopped spinning. My last kunai was knocked out of my hand by a well aimed shuriken just as I entered the circle of weapon-free ground that Neji's Kaiten had made. Ignoring the urge to turn back and retrieve my kunai, I continued heading for Neji.

We engaged in a brief taijutsu fight, neither able to play our strengths. His inability was due to chakra depletion and mine caused by a lack of ammunition. Flipping over his head, I landed behind him and grabbed a kunai from his pouch. With a smirk, I held the kunai against his neck, careful not to accidentally cut him.

Just when I thought I had won, I felt a hand grip my wrist and twist it, restraining the hand with the kunai behind my back. My eyes widened in shock as the "Neji" in front of me disappeared in a puff of smoke and a log fell to the ground with a thunk.

"I win," Neji whispered, his warm breath tickling the back of my neck. I let the kunai slip from my fingers and it dropped to the ground, a sign of surrender. Neji allowed me to slip my hand out of his grasp and picked up his kunai, placing it back into his holster. I surveyed our training area with a groan. Hundreds of my weapons and some of Neji's were scattered throughout the clearing.

This was going to take ages to clean up.

* * *

I was right. Thankfully, Neji's were made of a different metal from mine, which made it easier for us to differentiate whose kunai was whose. I was, and still am, rather irked by the fact that he could afford the more expensive versions of the usual shinobi weapons. Titanium doesn't come cheap, but the weapons made from them were lighter and more durable than the cheaper steel alternative.

Neji's weapons were all safely stored in his holster and pouch while mine were in a pile waiting to be sealed back into my scrolls. Shivering as a cool breeze broke the stillness of the crisp autumn air, I formed the hand seals necessary for the procedure, but was interrupted halfway by a loud shout.

"Neji-kun! Tenten-san!" I looked up to see Lee sprinting towards Neji and I. Unfortunately, he was running so quickly that he failed to stop on time and barreled right into my stack of weapons, scattering them again. Lee somehow managed to avoid any injury. Not for much longer.

"Lee!" I screamed at my teammate. I had half a mind to kill him for wasting all the effort it took to gather them. The other half wanted to impale him first.

"I'm so sorry Tenten-san," Lee apologized profusely, scurrying around frantically to pick up all the weapons. Once he had retrieved everything, I sealed them before he could cause a bigger mess.

"What is it, Lee?" Neji questioned, sounding slightly irritated.

"We have been summoned by Hokage-sama!" Lee exclaimed.

Past annoyance as well as murderous thoughts forgotten, the three of us set off for the tower without further delay.

* * *

Upon arrival, we immediately headed for our usual briefing room, one of several located within the building. We were about to enter when a Chuunin with brown hair covering one eye and a bandanna around his head stopped us and led us to the uppermost level of the tower.

The decor was quite different from the lower floors, the only similarity being that the ceiling, walls and floor was mostly made of wood. The center of the walkway was covered by a greenish gray carpet, the walls adorned with pictures and beautifully written calligraphy. We walked until we reached a door; the only one that we had seen so far. The Chuunin rapped smartly on the wood before easing it open.

The room was circular with windows taking up the top half of the walls facing the village, framed paintings covered those that were not. It was mostly empty, save for a long mahogany desk with dozens of books and scrolls stacked on top and the person sitting behind it.

"Hokage-sama, Team Gai has arrived." Arms folded and place atop the table, Hokage-sama nodded in response and the Chuunin took his leave.

"Before we begin, we have to wait for-" Hokage-sama was interrupted when the door opened with a loud slam and Gai-sensei burst into the office, panting.

"Hokage-sama!" he screamed hysterically. "What happened? Why is my team being called for this briefing? I'm absolutely sure that none of my cute students have done nothing wrong!"

"Gai-" Hokage-sama tried to explain, but our sensei ignored him and continued his rant.

"Lee is too youthful to anything bad and Tenten is a girl," he voiced his thoughts out loud. I nearly retorted at his blatant gender biasness, but I stopped myself when I realized what he was talking about. "This must mean that- Neji! You have dishonored me!" All of us turned to Neji who remained expressionless, which Lee obviously took as a sign of his guilt.

"Neji! What have you done?" I was fighting down the urge to laugh at both Neji's expression, a comical cross between annoyance and incredulity, as well as Gai and Lee's insanity.

"Neji, it's alright. People often make mistakes during their springtime of youth. Admit to your deeds and turn over a new leaf." Neji almost said something, but stopped himself halfway.

"I have failed you all as a sensei!" Gai wailed. Here we go again...

"That's not true!"

"Lee!"

"Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Sen-" Lee was cut off when Hokage-sama cleared his throat loudly.

"The reason for me calling all of you here today is to brief you on a special mission." From beside me, Neji glared at the two "Green Beasts of Konoha".

"So none of my students have committed any grievous sins?"

"No." Gai heaved a great sigh of relief. I was amazed at the amount of patience Hokage-sama had that he could actually deal with Gai without popping a blood vessel.

"Do you all remember the scouting mission from last month?" The four of us nodded. Remembering, I gulped and waited for the long overdue scolding we were most likely going to receive. "According to the mission report Gai submitted, all of you were highly involved in the case of the missing-nin. Because of this, Hidden Grass has requested that you go to Kusagakure to assist them in their investigation."

I was more than slightly apprehensive about this mission, especially the part about us going to Hidden Grass. The hidden villages were all extremely secretive. Apart from where they were located and the most basic of their techniques, we didn't learn very much about the other villages during our time in the academy. According to what I have heard so far about the Land of Grass in general, it isn't exactly the best place to live in.

"Tomorrow at noon, a team of Grass ANBU will be arriving to escort you, along with the missing-nin, to the village. You will stay there until the investigation is complete and return to Konoha after which. I want a full report on the outcome."

"Hai!" Gai saluted.

"Gai, I'd like a word with you. The rest of you may leave," he waved his hand towards the door, gesturing for us to go. The three of us exited the office, leaving Gai and Hokage-sama alone. Whatever it was that Hokage-sama wanted to speak to Gai about, I seriously doubt that it was about his conduct.

* * *

The next day, we assembled at the northwest gate thirty minutes before the appointed time as per regulation. As a shinobi, it was better to be prepared for anything, including starting earlier than expected.

Gai-sensei and Lee were, unsurprisingly, carrying large matching haversacks while having an extremely animated discussion. Neji had a drawstring bag slung over his shoulder, brooding as usual. My own backpack was filled with scrolls, bombs, a bottle of water, an extra set of clothing and, as a precaution, a small bottle of soldier pills. I had no clue what Lee had packed into his close to bursting bag, since he didn't require anything to do taijutsu. Neji's seemed the lightest out of all the four of ours.

Lucky him.

The Konoha ANBU, garbed in cloaks and porcelain masks, were standing several feet away, guarding the missing-nin. The missing-nin's hands were bound tightly with black hair which was commonly used for such purposes. It was similar to the chakra strings attached to my weapons, except that it was stronger and even harder to break. His pouch and holster had been confiscated, leaving him with nothing except for the clothes on his back. His mask hid his face, but his eyes held no expression whatsoever.

The team of Grass ANBU arrived shortly after I did. All five dressed in green camouflage vests and black pants, which I assumed was their uniform. Sheathed katanas hung from their belts and guards protected their lower arms. The only distinguishing feature between them was the customary porcelain masks covering their faces. The tallest one spoke.

"We apologize for being so early, our journey went faster than expected." The rest remained silent, merely nodding in greeting.

The Konoha ANBU transferred custody of the missing-nin to their Grass counterparts who got into a basic formation. Both left in opposite directions. Team Gai followed the Grass ANBU, heading towards the Land of Grass.

* * *

We had been running for the last four hours without stopping. We had left the familiar forests surrounding Konoha a long time ago and the tension crept up a notch. Although I was drenched in sweat and my muscles were aching, I was forced to travel at full speed in order to keep up with the ANBU. No matter how much I panted, I never seemed to get enough air. Neji was breathless and even Lee looked winded. Out of all the Konoha ninja, only Gai-sensei was able to speak.

"How long will it take for us to get there?" he asked the nearest grass-nin.

"Another eight hours at most," he replied and I resisted the urge to groan. "We'll be stopping for a rest shortly." Thank kami...

* * *

I took a long draught of water from my pack, savouring the relief the cool liquid gave my burning throat. Neji and Lee did the same. Gai was sitting on the grass, quiet for once. Every now and then, I caught him looking at the Grass ANBU who were just standing around, doing nothing.

Sighing inwardly at my sensei's strangeness, I observed the surrounding forest. Despite my extensive travels throughout almost all of Fire Country, this place was completely foreign to me.

"We'll be leaving soon," one of the Grass ANBU informed us in a quiet voice. I reluctantly put my bottle back into my bag.

"Yosh!" Gai shouted, springing from his seat on the grass. "We shall embrace your rekindled flame of youth and get to Kusagakure by sunset!" Neji rolled his eyes and I sighed in exasperation. The Grass ANBU looked taken aback by Gai's sudden albeit ridiculous announcement.

"Yes! Gai-sensei!" his clone replied enthusiastically.

Suddenly, there was a soft, almost undetectable rustling sound. Neji activated his byakugan.

"Four grass-nin. They're wearing the ANBU uniform," he said, the veins around his eyes returning back to their normal size. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced briefly at the missing-nin. He was oddly calm. Too calm. The approaching ninja were most likely his comrades.

"You four deal with the imposters, I'll take the Konoha ninja and the nukenin back to Grass," ordered the one in the cat mask. His team members nodded and disappeared. The sound of metal against metal reverberated throughout the clearing. The remaining Grass ANBU immediately grabbed the mssing-nin's wrists and leapt into the treetops, motioning for us to follow him.

* * *

Before long, we had reached the edge of the forest. Surrounded by rocky cliffs on three sides, the only way out was to go back the way we came.

"Stop!" Gai-sensei commanded just as the ANBU was about to head back into the forest.

"What is it?" he asked politely, his back facing our sensei.

"The grass-nin from just now were the real ANBU team, weren't they?" I blinked and stared at the Grass ANBU who did not respond to Gai-sensei's accusation. He continued, "First of all, ANBU teams come in fours, not fives. Next, you have been taking a different route from the one usually taken when trying to get to Grass country. You most likely delayed the real ANBU team and took their place, which explains your lack of knowledge about the Black Ops. The reason for taking a different route was to prevent us from meeting the real team." This was the first time I've ever heard Gai-sensei say so much without the word 'youth' included in his sentences. Not to mention that he actually made sense.

My eyes widened as I understood the full impact of what Gai-sensei's words. Without another moment's hesitation, I drew a kunai from my holster, gripping the cloth covered handle as though my life depended on it, which it probably did. Neji assumed his Jyuken stance. Lee stood straight and stiff as a board, one arm raised, open palmed in preparation to strike, the other hung at his side.

The grass-nin sliced through his partner's bonds. "Not bad," he intoned amusedly. "For a Konoha shinobi." I held the kunai so tightly that my knuckles were white. Neji was glaring daggers at the fake Grass ANBU and Lee's fists were clenched. Gai-sensei remained motionless.

"That's not all," Gai-sensei said slightly smugly. "Look around you." Only the did I notice that the area we were in was completely barren except for small patches in between the rocks. The nearest abundance of plant life was the forest which was quite a distance away. I smirked.

The grass-nin didn't seem the least bit fazed, maintaining his impassive tone. "I was supposed to kill you four when we got to Grass, but this will have to do."

Gai-sensei and the grass-nin charged forward simultaneously, his fist as well as his kunai parrying his opponent's.

"You may have defeated my subordinate, but you won't beat me that easily," the grass-nin taunted. Locked in a battle for dominance, Gai-sensei was pushing as hard as he could, but the grass-nin didn't seem like he was going to give in any time soon. The missing-nin did not make any move to help his leader, simply observing the two ninja.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted as made to assist the aforementioned Jounin. Before he could even take a step forward, Gai-sensei stopped him.

"Lee, they are too strong. You all have to escape."

"What about-"

"The power of youth will triumph," he angled his head to the side and flash his signature grin, but couldn't make the complete nice guy pose since both his hands were occupied. "Go now!"

"No," Neji replied firmly.

"It's an order!"

"Sensei-" I started, trying to persuade him to leave with us, but was cut off when a kunai whizzed past us from behind, heading straight for Gai-sensei. I hurled the one in my hand at it as quickly as I could, hoping to make it deviate from its course, but another kunai stopped mine before it could reach its target.

It was too late to try again or to dodge.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee screamed.

* * *

Suddenly, the kunai was deflected by a shuriken that had appeared out of nowhere, followed by a masked Jounin with silver gravity-defying hair.

"Yo," he waved nonchalantly.

"You're late," Gai said through gritted teeth as he pushed harder on the enemy's kunai. The newcomer only laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry. It took a while to get clearance for this mission."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Lee gasped.

"Looks like you're in a bit of a pinch, Gai. Mind if I help?"

"Not at all, but you owe me a competition when we get back." Was that really all he could think of at a time like this?

"Yeah, yeah," Kakashi-sensei sighed. "Neji," he addressed the boy beside me. Neji nodded and activated his byakugan.

"Three," he stated.

"Those of you hiding can come out now," Kakashi-sensei called out. As expected, three more grass-nin came into view, landing behind their leader. "Well, the three of you can run along now and get back to Konoha. Gai and I will take it from here," he said genially as he pulled a scroll from one of the many compartments on his vest. Wonder where I can get myself one of those.

"After them, you fools. Don't let them get away!" the leader barked. The three grass-nin hurriedly obeyed and rushed forward. Gai-sensei jumped backwards and landed beside Kakashi-sensei, blocking the only exit and preventing the grass-nin from getting to us.

Kakashi-sensei opened the scroll he was holding, bit his thumb and smeared the blood along the length of the scroll. After waving the strip of paper to form complex patterns in mid-air, he threw it up and it snapped shut. Forming seals as he caught the scroll, he slammed the scroll against the ground and it emitted a high pitched whistle. The earth in front of the advancing ninja began shaking and crumbling. They cried out in shock and pain as a large pack of dogs emerged from the ground and pounced onto them, preventing them from taking one step further.

Neji and I proceeded to follow our instructions, but Lee was still reluctant to do the same.

"Lee, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Will you really be alright, Gai-sensei?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes. Now go."

* * *

As we leapt further and further away from the clearing, the sounds of battle faded into a resounding and somewhat uncomfortable silence. The only sound was the light tapping of our sandals against wood that were gradually increasing in volume and the occasional rustle of leaves as the tree branches moved. Neji would periodically use his byakugan to check whether anyone was following us.

We were safe; for now.

"Do you think they'll be ok?" I asked no one in particular.

"They're Jounin," Neji answered.

"I know that, but-"

"Do not worry, Tenten-san. You must have faith in Kakashi-sensei's strength and Gai-sensei's youth!" Lee declared. I couldn't help but smile at Lee's comment, however ridiculous it was. His optimism was contagious. Despite that, I just couldn't ignore the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

It was probably just paranoia...

"Byakugan." Neji began scanning the area. "They're catching up," he said grimly, deactivating his bloodline limit. Lee gasped.

"How many?" I managed to choke out.

"One. It's the one Gai fought the last time."

"Can we outrun him?" My muscles screamed in protest at Lee's question.

"He's too close. Even if we increased our speed, he'd still catch up eventually," Neji said. "The only thing we can do is to stop and rest so that we'll have enough energy to face him." I gulped, not feeling all that keen on fighting someone who was clearly stronger than the three of us combined.

"Isn't there any place with no plants?" I asked hopefully. If there was, we'd have the advantage since he wouldn't be able to use any jutsu. Then maybe we'd have a chance of winning.

"No, there's nothing but forest for miles." Neji sighed as we landed back on solid ground in the middle of a small grassy area. I opened my pack to take out my bottle of water. As I was rummaging around, I came across the soldier pills. I took out the tiny bottle and popped one into my mouth. The instant I swallowed, the tiredness vanished and I felt refreshed again. I offered one each to my two teammates who accepted gratefully.

"My youth has returned!" Lee announced.

"So what's the plan?" I asked Neji who held up a hand to silence me and activated byakugan. His eyes widened almost instantly.

"He's here."

* * *

I looked around frantically, trying to locate the enemy ninja. I found him standing on a tree branch, casually overseeing us from his perch.

"So you've finally given up on your futile attempt at escape. You may have lived past our last encounter, but you won't this time." All three of us got into varying stances in preparation for anything that he was going to do. "Now I could kill you now, but what's the fun in that? I suppose you three should be able to entertain me before you die."

"Konoha Senpuu!" Lee recklessly attacked the missing-nin headlong by jumping up and doing a spinning kick at his opponent's head level. Lee's kick reduced a good portion of the tree to splinters, but it failed to meet its intended target when the grass-nin ducked.

"Is that the best you can do?" he asked tonelessly, as he punched Lee in the stomach, sending him flying into the base of a tree.

"Lee!" I screamed, rushing over to check on my teammate who was sprawled amongst the tree roots.

"I'm okay," he said with a reassuring smile which turned into a wince as he got to his feet.

"Which of you is next?" the missing-nin drawled.

Neji stepped forward before charging at the missing-nin and delivering a palm thrust, but the missing-nin sidestepped him nimbly. From my vantage point next to Lee, I carefully observed the fight. My grip on the scroll in my pocket tightened when I saw the ninja plunge a kunai into Neji's side, but I bit my lip and continued waiting. To my relief, even though it was somewhat expected, "Neji" transformed into a log and the real one appeared behind the missing-nin. Neji's palm hit him squarely in the chest. The wisps of blue were clearly visible as the chakra from the attack forced its way out of the grass-nin and dissipated into the air. It was clearly a critical blow.

"Tenten, now!" Neji signaled as he leapt to the side. Once he was out of the way, I wasted no time in summoning and throwing the contents of an entire scroll at the nukenin, even adding a couple of explosive tags to finish him off. When the smoke cleared after the explosion, I saw a charred log that was embedded with weapons. The rest were sticking out of the ground around it.

"You're not the only one who can use Kawarimi." The nukenin materialized in front of Neji and gave him a swift uppercut to the jaw followed by a kick to his side. Neji skidded to a landing several feet away from Lee and I.

"Neji!" As I was about to go help him up, the grass-nin began speaking again.

"If this is the extent of your abilities, then you're all a waste of my time," he said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Playtime is over, children."

* * *

I felt something swipe the side of my face, followed by a stinging pain. Something warm was trickling down my jaw. I touched my cheek and then examined my fingers. I saw red.

Wiping the blood away with my collar, I tried to find out what it was that had cut me. The wind howled as it rushed past and I was blown several steps backwards. The fallen leaves that had once littered the ground mingled with the zephyr. More nicks and scratches appeared on my skin, as well as tiny rips in my clothes.

"What's going on?" I asked, holding my hand over my face to protect myself. It didn't seem to be working though.

"I don't know! It must be a wind jutsu!" Lee shouted back. Neji was unable to reply as he was doing his Kaiten. When the air was still again, the cuts stopped appearing. Lowering my arms, I noticed that Lee was just as messed up as I was. Only Neji was unscathed.

"It's not just a wind jutsu," Neji said. "It's combined with something else." The missing-nin's smirk was visible in his gleaming eyes. The grass-nin sent a gust of wind, along with several leaves that were blown with it, towards Neji. Neji flung a few shuriken that pinned the leaves to the ground. However, the wind remained unaffected. My sparring partner did not make any move to dodge.

"Neji, look out!" The wind whipped through his long, coffee coloured hair as it passed. Nothing else happened.

"You surrounded the edges of the leaves with chakra and used a wind jutsu to manipulate them," he addressed the missing-nin.

"Very observant, boy," the grass-nin commented, "but not good enough." He created a large gale that swept up every single leaf in the vicinity before directing them at us. Neji did his Kaiten while we non-Hyugas used weapons, senbon in my case, to deflect the leaves. This method wasn't foolproof, but it was the best that Lee and I could do.

Eventually the wind ceased and I collapsed to the ground immediately from exhaustion. Lee was panting heavily and Neji was worn out from prolonged usage of his Kaiten. On the bright side, our opponent seemed tired as well. That technique must require a lot of chakra.

Ignoring my fatigue, I jumped up and seized my chance to attack. But before I could even whip out a scroll, the missing-nin vanished. I landed on a low-lying branch. It groaned loudly, protesting against the sudden addition of weight. Then, a loud snap was heard.

The next thing I knew, I was falling, heading straight for the grass below. It looked normal at first, but as I got closer, it suddenly stood straight and tall, the tips sharpened into dangerous points.

There was only time for one second of terror.

* * *

I felt someone's hand grab my flailing one and hoist me back up onto a thicker, sturdier branch.

"Thanks, Neji."

"Hn."

"Where's-"

"I'm here!" Lee shouted, jumping down from a higher branch and joining us. When he landed, the branch started creaking, threatening to break and send us to our doom. Lee quickly leapt onto nearby branch. Since when was he that heavy?

"What's the plan?" I asked Neji.

"If we're stuck up here, the only way is to use long range attacks. Our main problem is his leaf jutsu. I can't do Kaiten unless I'm on solid ground and it's much harder for you and Lee to-"

"Look out!" Lee suddenly called out jumping off his branch. I was momentarily stunned and hesitated to do the same. When I was about to, I realized that I couldn't move. The smaller branches connected to the one Neji and I were on had wrapped themselves around our ankles. No matter how hard we struggled, we couldn't break free.

"You fell right into my trap," the missing-nin said smugly, reappearing in the middle of the small field. The grass did not react to his presence. I tried using a kunai to hack at the branches, hoping that it would release me, but the kunai failed to make even the slightest dent in the wood. "It's useless. Those branches are surrounded by my chakra."

"He's right, Tenten," Neji said resignedly. "It's all up to Lee now."

We'd be dead before Lee could say "youth".

* * *

Lee landed under a large tree. He didn't have much of a choice since the branches weren't exactly safe. Wait a minute.

"He's using his head for once," Neji smirked. I was still confused. Then I noticed that the ground beneath his feet was grass-free.

"I guess you're smarter than you look," the missing-nin said casually. "After I get you, I'll kill your pathetic teammates. Konoha will fall."

"You're wrong," Lee said quietly, his bangs hiding his large eyes.

"What?" The grass-nin hissed.

Lee shrugged off his backpack and dropped it, producing a loud crash as it hit the ground. What on earth was in the bag? "Gai-sensei told me to use this technique on the condition that I was protecting someone precious to me. My teammates are two of the people that I treasure the most."

"Lee," I murmured, gazing down at the scene below. I could tell from the sincerity in his voice that Lee cared deeply for Neji and I, despite the fact that we only ever saw him as a nuisance. I fidgeted guiltily as I remembered how poorly I had treated him. Neji looked equally uncomfortable.

"That is why I refuse to lose." Lee unwrapped the bandages around his hands until about an arms length was dangling freely, swaying in the gentle breeze. He crouched down in an unfamiliar stance and formed a one handed tiger seal, his thick eyebrows narrowed in concentration. I thought he couldn't use ninjutsu. Nonetheless, I'm sure Lee knew what he was doing.

"His chakra has increased," Neji said with wide eyes as he observed. Lee charged forward.

"Watch out for the-" I wanted to remind him about the grass, but Neji cut me off.

"Look." Lee was stepping on the grass, but he was moving so quickly that it was unable to react. He leapt up and seemed like he as about to attack, but he disappeared. Before the missing-nin could even utter a syllable, he was kicked numerous times in various places at an amazing speed. I simply couldn't believe my eyes. This was Lee, the worst in class, the one who couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, the weakest of the three of us. It was unreal how much he had improved solely through hard work. Maybe Lee was right after all...

The missing-nin was caught completely off guard by the unpredictability of Lee's assult and wasn't able to react or block. Then Lee moved in and kicked him in the chin, snapping his head back and shooting him upwards with incredible power. Lee also propelled himself upwards. When he was behind the grass-nin, he wound the bandages around him, and grabbed him into a bear-hug, rendering him defenseless. Spinning at a rapid speed, Lee and the missing-nin were heading straight towards the ground. Lee slammed his opponent with brutal force, headfirst into the ground, and leapt away at the last second. A large cloud of dust and leaves flew into the air from the aftershock.

There was no way anyone could survive an attack like that.

The branches relinquished their hold on Neji and I and we joined Lee back on the ground. Lee was breathless and tired, but he managed a grin as his knees buckled from exhaustion. Neji and I helped him back onto his feet. 

"Lee, are you alright?" I asked concernedly. Unable to give a verbal response through his pants, Lee nodded and gave both of us a nice guy pose.

* * *

When Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei found us, we were still in the clearing since Lee was too tired to move and neither Neji nor I were able to lift his bag, let alone run with it. When I opened it, I found that it was full of weights. I didn't even bother asking. Obviously it was another crazy form of training that Gai-sensei cooked up. Only he would even think of stuffing his backpack with nothing but weights.

Kakashi-sensei was pretty impressed that the three of us had managed to beat that missing-nin without too much injury. Gai-sensei, being Gai-sensei, said, "Well my eternal rival, since I have better trained students, I suppose this now brings my score to 50 so we are once again tied."

"I don't even have any students," Kakashi-sensei replied, sweatdropping. Gai-sensei ignored him as he began praising Lee on his perfect execution of the "Omote Renge".

The five of us headed back to Konoha. Lee was slung over Gai-sensei's shoulder and Kakashi was carrying Lee's bag. I looked at Neji, silently asking for his opinion on what I was about to do. Neji 'hn'ed, which meant "Do what you want."

"Lee, would you like to train with us after you recover?" Lee beamed as he nodded enthusiastically. I grinned back and Neji gave a little smile of his own.

* * *

Author's Note:

Hi, I'm very very sorry for the long wait. It took awhile for my brain to recover, especially after being turned to mush after the exams. Then it took me even longer to get back into a writing mood since most of the stuff I've been writing was either essays or filling in application forms for next year. My parents have also limited the amount of computer time I have since the "oil prices are rising" and so is "the cost of electricity".

But I'm happy to announce that my school has finally ended for this year, so I can do more writing (manual unfortunately).

This chapter and the next will end the Grass arc. Originally, the two were supposed to be combined, but I decided to just post part a first since the fight scenes are taking awhile. After this I'll be moving onto the Chuunin exams.

Beta read by myself and my sis. My beta reader is busy with NaNo so she can't beta read for me. T-T. Please inform me if you spot any mistakes. I know I'm not all that great at spotting errors, neither is my sis but she's still better than me.

By the way, check out my new story. It's on fictionpress. My penname is the same.

I'll post the next chapter asap.

**Update:**

My beta reader, Midnight Memories, is back and she has read through this chapter.

For those who were wondering what Omote Renge is, Omote Renge equals Primary Lotus.


	19. Prelude to a storm

Disclaimer: Too troublesome (Kyaa! Shika-kun!) to come up with a witty disclaimer.

* * *

The next few months passed by relatively normally and uneventfully. Winter had come and gone and spring was drawing to a close. The almost daily rainfall, which had lasted for over two weeks, ranged from the barest drizzle to heavy downpours, announcing the imminent arrival of summer. 

The sun blazed down on us relentlessly, adding to our fatigue. The small fluffy clouds that dotted the sky failed to provide even the slightest relief from the heat as Neji, Lee and I were running laps in the Academy training area. Over the last half a year, the three of us trained together more often under Gai-sensei's supervision. Lee and our sensei were actually pretty nice and more normal than they appeared to be. They were still prone to ranting about youth, and retained their ability to somehow see non-existent sunsets and crashing waves. Neji and I have grown pretty much immune to their weirdness and learned to ignore their antics.

Gai-sensei's training regime consisted mostly of building up stamina and speed as well as practicing lots of simple taijutsu. Surprisingly, such basic training proved to be very effective. It was no wonder how Lee had improved so quickly. Usually, we would train together in the mornings and given the afternoons off to do our own training. Neji and I would disappear to our usual clearing for some sparring. Lee would tag along every now and then, but he normally left us alone in favour of extra training sessions with Gai-sensei.

Four birds flew past overhead, chirping merrily as though laughing at our current state. After finally completing the hundred laps Gai-sensei assigned, the three of us had promptly collapsed. I didn't expect Lee to be as exhausted as Neji and I were since he had the most stamina. He must have been training before we even arrived.

"What's wrong? Done already?" Gai asked us tauntingly. None of us were able to reply through our pants. "You're just like you were yesterday!"

"Not yet," Lee said, getting back onto his feet. Neji and I followed suit.

"I won't give up without surpassing the level I was at yesterday," Neji retorted.

"We have to become stronger!" I added.

"Stronger than I was yesterday!" Lee did a punch that was the first stance in the kata that Gai-sensei had designed for us. The philosophy of becoming stronger than one was the day before was one of the many that Gai-sensei taught us. Neji and I don't agree with his strange reasoning often, but this one was one of the few that actually made sense. Lee is, and will definitely remain, the only one who subscribes to the whole youth idea.

Neji punched the air in front of him, mimicking Lee's actions. "Stronger than I was yesterday!"

I did the same and said determinedly, "Stronger than I was yesterday!"

"Stronger than I was yesterday!" all three of us shouted in unison as Gai nodded in approval.

* * *

All of the projectiles hit their intended mark with a satisfying thump. At my current altitude, I had a full view of the clearing. All of the targets had dozens of weapons protruding out of them and had at least one was embedded in the bullseye. Smirking, I landed back on the ground. 

"Neji," I called out. My sparring partner nodded and activated his byakugan.

"Smallest target, second ring." I walked towards the named target and checked.

"That was fast," I commented, plucking the senbon out of the target. "You usually take at least twenty seconds."

"Hn."

"How's that jutsu coming along?" I started retrieving all the weapons I had thrown. Neji didn't reply and set up a straw dummy next to him. I guess he prefers showing over telling. Getting into his stance, Neji did his technique while I observed. When he finished, Neji started examining the hole covered dummy. A brief sound of displeasure escaped his down turned lips.

"What wrong?"

"There's something... missing."

"A name?" I suggested the first thing that came to mind. Neji raised an eyebrow. "Well, it is pretty odd to call it 'the poking jutsu'," I explained.

"Hn," Neji grunted.

"What about you? Do you know?" Neji's lack of response spoke for itself.

After a long silence, he finally said, "I'll figure it out."

"If you say so," I shrugged. "Spar?" Neji assumed his Jyuken stance. I reached into my pouch for two scrolls, and crouched down in preparation for my attack. Neji isn't the only one with a new-

"SENSEI!!!" A shrill voice rang out through the clearing. I paused, the corner of my mouth twitching while Neji's eyes narrowed. "I FOUND THEM!" I groaned as our green-clad teammate burst into our training area, closely followed by Gai-sensei.

"Good work, Lee!" Gai-sensei gave Lee his blinding grin, accompanied with the usual pinging sound. Lee returned the smile with one was so ridiculously shiny that looked like it came right out of a toothpaste commercial.

"What is it?" Neji questioned coldly, his tone laced with annoyance.

"Gai-sensei and I were having a race to see who could find you and Tenten-san first!" Lee declared proudly as though that answered the question. Neji's glare merely intensified.

"Why was he looking for us?" I asked, trying to get Lee to explain before Neji lost his patience. He doesn't like interruptions during training, especially when they came in the form of two green spandex wearing, thick eye-browed look-alikes that go around yelling about 'the burning flame of youth'.

"He said that he had an announcement to make," Lee said. Then we noticed that Gai-sensei was no longer standing beside Lee and was instead crouching under a tree, sulking.

"Lee, you are so much more youthful than me!"

"It was thanks to Gai-sensei that I have learnt to be so youthful!" Lee ran over to comfort his sensei.

"Lee!" Gai shouted, a literal waterfall of tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Sensei!"

"LEE!"

"SENSEI!"

I wonder if they'll be done by the time Neji and I finish our spar...

* * *

"I have decided to let the three of you participate in the Chuunin exams." Gai-sensei's statement left Lee, Neji and I speechless, but our reasons differed. Neji's silence was a thoughtful one, the confident smirk on his lips evident. Lee was too busy gaping with awe to even speak. 

"Chuunin exams?" I could hear the uncertainty in my own voice as I uttered the words. Gai-sensei nodded.

"If you pass, you will be promoted to the rank of Chuunin. The tests may not be easy, but it is a good chance for all of you to display your youth."

"Who else will be taking the exam?" Lee asked.

"Any Genin who has enough mission experience can be recommended to take the exam. Those from the neighbouring countries will also be participating in the exam. This time, the test is being held in Konoha so you won't need to travel to any of the other Hidden villages."

"That means that we'll have the advantage," Neji commented.

"Not necessarily, but don't worry. I'm sure the three of you will do fine. After all, you have been trained by one of Konoha's strongest Jounin." He pointed to himself with his thumb.

Lee's eyes were burning with enthusiasm as he shouted. "I will take the Chuunin exams and prove my youth to all of Konoha! I won't let you down! If I don't pass, I will double -no- triple my training and take the exam over and over again until I do." Gai-sensei bent down to Lee's height and patted the top of his head.

"Lee, the important thing is not passing. It is doing your best and learning from the experience, only then will you become stronger." Lee began frantically scribbling down Gai-sensei's every word in his little notebook, ecstatic that Gai-sensei had given him such good 'advice'. "The Chuunin exams will be in two weeks. Until then, I want you all to keep training so that you do not lose your youthfulness! We shall celebrate the springtime of our youth together!"

"Ossu! Gai-sensei!"

Gai punched a fist into the air. "Let us head for the everlasting sunset! Seishun Banzai!" Lee and Gai-sensei disappeared in a cloud of dust.

"Are we going to continue?" I asked.

"Tomorrow," Neji replied. "There's something I have to do."

* * *

The next morning, I arrived at our meeting place, the third training area, and found that everyone was already there. Gai-sensei was being quiet for once, his expression serious as he watched Lee do some exercises. Neji was in his usual position, leaning against the bark of a tree with his arms folded across his chest. I couldn't really put my finger on it, but I had this feeling that there was something wrong with the scene before me, which I would have considered normal on any other day. 

"One thou- Tenten-san!" Lee noticed me when he was halfway through a push-up and tried to wave. He ended up sprawled on the floor. "Now I'll have to do two hundred more."

"Ohayo," I returned the greeting. Lee was currently rushing through his push-ups, moving so quickly that he looked like a blur. Neji didn't respond. Usually he would at least grunt a 'Hn' or one of his other monosyllabic words.

"Now that our youthful flower has arrived, we shall start with one thousand sit-ups." I resisted the urge to groan as I got ready to begin. Lee, who had managed to complete his 'punishment', started on a speech on what he would do if he couldn't finish the assigned amount with Gai-sensei cheering him on. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Neji glaring at our sensei before he settled down on the grass to do his warm-up.

* * *

"Neji, my eternal rival!" Lee shouted happily, bounding towards Neji and I. "Gai-sensei said that we could spar after our break. Let us have a duel!" Neji ignored Lee as he took a sip of water, his grip on the innocent bottle tighter than usual. He hadn't said a word throughout the entire session. 

Snapping the top of his water bottle shut, Neji got up and brushed off his pants. Whooping, Lee sprinted to the middle of the training grounds and fell into his taijutsu stance. Neji casually strolled to the middle of the training grounds and got into his Jyuken stance, his byakugan already activated.

When Gai-sensei's clear voice signalled for both of them to start, Neji was the first to charge forward. Lee was caught off guard for a second before he did the same. Usually Lee was the one who would make the first move because Neji preferred a defensive approach. The only time when Neji attacked was when there was an opening for him to do so.

"Konoha Senpuu!" Neji jumped up to dodge Lee's kick and started his assault. I observed the exchange of blows with increasing interest. Neji seemed to be taking Lee seriously for once; instead of simply dodging Lee's attacks, he was dealing his own. Lee's speed enabled him to avoid Neji's Jyuken blows, but he was gradually being overpowered by the latter's efficient fighting style.

Lee jumped backwards and seemed to vanish. He reappeared behind Neji and made to punch him, but Neji was two steps ahead. The punch did not hit Neji's chest, instead it met a wall of chakra and Lee was repelled backwards by Kaiten. Lee regained his footing and crouched down, waiting for Neji's next move. My eyes widened as Neji assumed the stance of his new jutsu.

It was all over in a matter of seconds.

Lee went sailing through the air and he landed heavily on the ground several feet away. Neji breathed out slowly, resuming his Jyuken stance.

"Lee!" Gai-sensei and I ran to his side. I offered him a hand.

"I'm ok," Lee insisted. He gritted his teeth and tried to get up on his own, but his attempts were in vain. "I can't move."

"Neji, what did you do?" I asked, helping Gai-sensei to support Lee.

"I only sealed his tenketsu, they should reopen in a few days," Neji said calmly.

"If you can seal them, can't you unseal them?" When he didn't reply, I had to resist the urge to slap my forehead. "You don't know how?" I asked incredulously.

"I would if-" Neji's retort was interrupted by Gai-sensei.

"Neji, we've talked about this," he said sternly. Neji's glare intensified, his hands balling themselves into fists. Without another word, he stalked off towards the iron fencing that surrounded the training area. Pushing the gate open, with such force that I had half expected it to fall right off its hinges, he left.

* * *

Gai-sensei and I took Lee to the hospital. Unfortunately, none of the medic-nins on call knew how to unseal his chakra points. The most they could do was apply ointment onto the angry red spots that had appeared in the places he was hit and hospitalize him until his tenketsu unsealed themselves. While Gai-sensei was sorting out the admission forms, I was left alone with Lee in his room. 

"Does it hurt?" I pushed the chair in the corner of the room until it was beside Lee's bed and sat on it.

"It feels... weird," Lee mused, unable to come up with a proper description. "Tenten-san, is something wrong?"

"No," I replied hotly, just managing to keep the bite out of my tone.

"Please don't be angry with Neji-kun. It isn't his fault, I was the one who wanted to spar with him," Lee said earnestly. "I only wanted to help him take his mind off th-" Lee cut himself off suddenly and refused to continue.

"What? What happened to Neji?" Lee only moaned about Neji being angry with him. "Did something happen before training?" His immediate silence confirmed my suspicions. "Lee." The aforementioned shinobi shook his head, albeit with much difficulty. "Lee!"

"Alright I'll tell you, but please don't tell Neji-kun." When I gave my word that I wouldn't, Lee hemmed and hawed for a while before finally speaking. "Gai-sensei and I were running laps throughout the streets of Konoha when Gai-sensei was summoned to the Hyuga residence. Neji-kun's uncle, Hiashi-sama, spoke to Gai-sensei about Neji-kun. I don't really know the details, but apparently Neji-kun did something unyouthful and Gai-sensei was told to discipline him."

"What did he do?" I asked.

"Something about sneaking into his uncle's library to look at secret documents." So that was what he meant yesterday. He must have gone there to look up information on his technique. A tiny part of me felt secretly happy that he had succeeded, the rest still felt like beating him within an inch of his life. Then again, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Then what happened?"

"Gai-sensei talked to him and Neji made a passionate promise that he would not argue about the main house ever again," Lee said with a note of finality in his voice. I snorted at Lee's statement. The absolute most that Neji would have said after Gai-sensei told him to make such a promise was a monotonous 'hn' that no one would be able to mistaken it for a 'passionate promise'. I hadn't expected Lee and Gai-sensei to be this-

"Tenten-san?" Lee's voice shook me out of my reverie. Then I realized that my hands, which had once been placed firmly on my lap, had strayed towards the holsters strapped to each of my thighs. I stroked them lightly, enjoying the feel of the leather under my fingers.

"I have to go," I said abruptly, standing up and heading for the door. "I'll be back later." Lee only smiled. He did not ask where I was going. Perhaps he already knew...

* * *

I found him in our clearing, quietly practising his jutsu on dummies. His face was completely devoid of emotion and his byakugan was activated so there was no doubt that he knew I was already here, but he did not do or say anything to acknowledge my presence. 

"Ano... Neji," I called out. He just kept on training as though he didn't notice me. For some reason I found myself looking down at my feet instead of at him. I tried to think of something to say that would at least get him to respond. I forced the corners of my lips upwards and tried to sound as cheerful as possible. "You still owe me a match from yesterday, remember?" What seemed like hours passed as I waited hopefully for a reply. Even a non-committal grunt was better than nothing.

"Aa." The fake smile became a real one as both of us took our positions.

* * *

I gasped as a palm connected with my stomach. If my sparring partner had been anyone else, it wouldn't have hurt. I also suppose if my opponent had been any other Hyuga, I would probably be dead by now. I had gotten hit at least a dozen times in the last half an hour. Thankfully, Neji was controlling the amout of chakra he used. I wouldn't even want to think about what would happen if he didn't. 

Flipping backwards and wincing at the soreness in my abdomen, I took two scrolls out of my pouch and knelt on the ground, placing them on either side. Forming the necessary seals, I concentrated my chakra into my palms. When I released the chakra into the scrolls, the clearing was filled with dense white smoke. The smoke's original purpose was to obscure my opponent's vision, but it was useless against byakugan. Nontheless, I couldn't help but admire my handiwork as a pair of twin dragons flew skyward in a graceful dance, twisting around each other to form a double helix.

The smoke dissipated, revealing the scrolls concealed within the dragons. I jumped up and performed a complex set of acrobatic movements in order to reach all the symbols, simultaneously hurling the summoned weapons at Neji.

My teammate didn't waste any time in starting his Kaiten. The weapons that hit the chakra barrier were deflected and they embedded themselves on the surrounding trees and the ground outside of Kaiten's range. As soon as he started to slow down, I used the chakra strings to manipulate my weapons for a second wave, but they failed to penetrate his denfenses. I hadn't expected him to be able to maintain his Kaiten for so long.

Neji's technique left behind a shallow crater in the ground, which showed just how much stronger he had gotten. When I landed, I immediately charged in to attack. However, Neji got to me first and sent me flying. As I was getting back onto my feet, Neji suddenly rushed forward, arms raised, each hand with two chakra tipped fingers extended. I waited for the pain that never came.

His fingers barely grazed the skin of my arms. Just a couple of millimeters more and he would have stopped the chakra flow into my limbs. I stared at him in shock as he lowered his arms. I could practically hear the smirk in his voice when he spoke.

"That's enough for today." I could only stand there gaping.

"Why?" I finally managed to choke out. "I can still-"

"You would have lost anyway," Neji said simply. While I was cursing his arrogance inwardly, I knew that he was telling the truth even if I didn't want to admit it.

"Whatever." I started gathering up all my weapons and sealing them back into the scrolls. When I was about to leave, Neji stopped me.

"Where are you going?"

"Since we're finished for today, I'm going to visit Lee," I said as-a-matter-of-factly, hoping to make him feel guilty. He raised an eyebrow and I sighed. Guess there was only one way to get him to shelve some of his precious pride. "Do you want to come?" When he didn't reply, I shrugged and went on my way.

* * *

After a little detour, I made my way to the hospital. 

"Lee, I brought you some-" My grip on the door handle loosened and I nearly dropped the bag of food I was holding.

"Tenten-san!" Lee greeted happily, his large eyes shining with excitement. "Gai-sensei said that he had to go out for awhile."

"Oh." I shut the door and placed the plastic bag on the table before sitting on a corner of the bed, careful not to accidentally squash Lee's legs.

The only stool in the room was already occupied.

* * *

Author's Note: 

My brain had completely recovered! I think. I know that while I was writing chapter 18 my mind wasn't all that normal. I had the strangest urge to name the chapter "Hidden Grass Strikes Back" and have Gai say something like "May your youth be with you". I'm sure you smarter, saner people out there know where this came from. Sigh. Lost her mind the author has...

Anyway, I hope you liked it. It's not as long as the previous chapters, but I've done my best. This isn't exactly the Chuunin exams, but more of a bridge so that the story flows better.

For those of you who have already watched Shippuuden episode 28, I know that Lee is wearing the wrong clothing in the first scene. I have a really long list of reasons, but I'll summarize it into one sentence. That episode of Shippuuden with the scene came out a long time after I had Lee switch to his "Gai costume". Just imagine that he's wearing the right thing. Those that haven't watched it don't have to worry since it isn't much of a spoiler.

I guess some of you might be wondering why Neji did something so weird as to sneak into Hiashi's library. Well I figured that this would explain why he knew the name of Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou and it would add to the tension during his and Hinata's fight. I'm thinking of doing a special chapter in Neji's POV that covers those episodes. Hmm...

I hope you got the fluff, however limited it was. I thought I'd include some because the Chuunin exams will mostly be action. I know Neji was a bit of an ass in the earlier part of the chapter, but he made up for it in the end.

Just a question, should I rewrite the some of the earlier chapters? And if I should, which ones?

**Update:** My beta reader, Midnight Memories, is back. This chapter is and the ones to come will be error-free when I post them.


	20. Chuunin Exams: Part 1, Looming Danger

Disclaimer: Santa, can I have- wait... I don't really want Naruto. Neji and Sasuke would be nice.

* * *

All three kunai reached their mark, the tips burying themselves into the straw dummy. I had already taken out more kunai and was about to throw them when Lee appeared, placing his hand on a corner of the target.

"Have you heard? For the first time in five years, there will be rookies in the upcoming Chuunin exam."

"No way." I fingered the kunai in my hand before tossing it upwards, letting it spin a couple of times and catching it deftly. I repeated the action without even bothering to look at the kunai. "It's probably a couple Jounin competing with each other or something."

Neji smiled slightly, but Lee's expression didn't change.

"No, I heard that three of them are from Kakashi's unit," Lee added. One hand was on his waist, the other leaning against the tree trunk. I continued playing with the kunai, keeping my other hand behind my back.

"That sounds interesting," Neji commented, echoing my thoughts exactly.

"Either way," I said in a sing-song voice, flinging the kunai at the larger target. It joined the dozens of others on the dummy with a satisfying thump. From his seat at the base of the tree just a few inches beneath the training dummy, Neji spoke.

"You have to feel sorry for them."

I returned the smirk with one of my own and stepped forward to retrieve my kunai.

* * *

We passed the first round of the exams rather easily. 

The first test was a written exam. It sounded easy enough at the beginning, but the questions were so hard that I couldn't answer any of them. The only thing I could do was exactly what the examiners had warned us not to. Cheat.

Using mirrors attached to the ceiling with kunai and positioning them with chakra strings, I managed to peek at the answers of one of the guys behind me. It wasn't easy since he kept blocking my view by leaning over his paper to write, but I was able to get all the answers I needed.

At least they seemed right and it didn't help that his spiked hair was ten inches high.

I figured that Lee wouldn't be able to get the answers on his own so I angled the mirrors so that he could see the person's paper. Neji didn't need any help, nor did he have to go through the trouble of coming up with a suitable method of cheating. He had his bloodline limit to do all the work for him.

Over the forty-five minutes, about one-third of the examinees were eliminated. Lee and I weren't caught, and there was no way any of the examiners would be able to accuse Neji of cheating so our entire team was safe.

The tenth question came as a shock. Before revealing the "tenth problem", the head-examiner asked us to choose if we wished to take the question or not. Those who didn't have the confidence to answer the question were allowed to leave. The ones who chose to stay and answered the question wrongly would never be allowed to take the Chuunin exam again.

Almost a dozen teams edged out. I was starting to get a little scared. After all, if I couldn't answer it and that big-haired boy's answer was wrong I would be stuck as a genin forever.

Then that loudmouthed blond kid, Naruto, raised his hand and proceeded to slam it onto the desk.

_"I'm not going to run away! I'll take this problem! Even if I become a Genin forever, I'm going to become the Hokage no matter what! I'm not scared! I'm not going to give up! It's my ninja way!"_

I couldn't help but smile after hearing his little speech.

As it turned out, there wasn't even a tenth question. The exam wasn't just testing our ability to gather information, or in this case to cheat, it was testing our courage. It was rather frustrating, not to mention confusing, but at least we passed.

Our next head-examiner for the second round made an interesting entrance by crashing through one of the windows. Her clothing and the large sign she set up behind her clearly showed that she wasn't the kind of person who would allow you to forget her even if you wanted to.

Mitarashi Anko, which was what she introduced herself as, reminded me of three people. Two of them had black hair and wore green spandex. The third had bright blonde hair and an orange jumpsuit. All were loud, one more so than the others.

After having a conversation with our previous examiner, Ibiki, she told us to ask our Jounin sensei about the place and time of assembly and then we were dismissed.

* * *

When Gai-sensei heard the news, to say that he was thrilled was an understatement. I think he broke a few of my ribs. After crushing all three of us in a group hug, he immediately dashed off in the direction of the Jounin lounge. 

No prizes for guessing who he was going to find.

Of course, he being our ever responsible sensei, he had left us a little note in his wake giving us our instructions: Tomorrow, assemble at the Academy at noon.

The next day, all of the teams that had passed the first round were escorted to the place where the second round of the Chuunin exams were held.

When we arrived at our intended location, all seventy-eight Genins fell silent.

It was one of the many training areas located in the village. The same wire fencing with gates every ten meters or so. The only differences were that the gates were chained, sealed and locked several times over. The large sign with the words 'Forbidden Area' wasn't helping my nervousness.

Out of everything, the most shocking things were behind the fence. The trees were more than triple the size of normal ones. I nearly jumped when I heard a strange sound coming from the direction of the training area, but it was probably just some animals. I only hope they're not proportionate to the trees.

"This is where the second exam will take place," Anko explained. "The 44th training area. Also known as the Forest of Death."

Forest of Death?

It's probably just another one of those over exaggerated names.

Right?

* * *

"This sure is a creepy place." I heard the pink haired girl say. Anko smirked. 

"You'll be able to experience why this place is called the Forest of Death." Naruto repeated Anko's words in a high pitched falsetto while doing a little dance.

"I'm not scared at all!" he added.

"Really?" Anko asked smilingly. "You sure are energetic." Her eye-brows narrowed and a kunai flew out of her right sleeve and into her hand. She threw the weapon at the offending boy and it landed behind a grass-nin.

Anko herself disappeared, reappearing behind the Hokage-wannabe. "Boys like you die the fastest." She touched the shallow cut that appeared on the blonde's cheek.

"After spilling out that red blood I love all over the place."

Suddenly she turned around and another kunai shot out of her sleeve. She held it up as though about to strike the person that was behind her.

"Your kunai," the grass-nin from earlier said. Her long tongue, not unlike one of a frog's or a snake's, was wrapped around the said kunai.

"Thank you. But you shouldn't stand behind me like that. That is, unless you want to die young." Anko accepted the kunai and the grass-nin's tongue went back into her mouth.

"Well, I get itchy when I see blood. Also, my precious hair was cut, so I got a little excited." She turned around and started walking back to join her team.

"Sorry," Anko called out, but she was ignored. "It looks like there are a lot of hot-headed people here today. This is going to be interesting," she mused before walking back to her original place.

"Before we begin the second exam, I'm going to pass these out to everyone." The purple-haired examiner took a stack of papers out of her coat. "These are consent forms. Those taking the exam must sign these."

"Why?"

"From here on, people might die. Therefore, we need your consent before we continue. Otherwise, I'd be held responsible."

All the examinees stiffened and the tension cranked up a notch.

"Now I will begin the explanation of the second exam. To be concise, you will all go through an extreme survival test." She gave the consent forms to the person in the front to be passed around.

"First." She took out a scroll and unraveled it. "I'll explain the training area's geographical features. The 44th training area is a circular region surrounded by forty-four locked gate entrances. There is a river, a forest and a tower in the middle. The tower is approximately ten kilometers away from the gates." Everyone was listening intently to her, Lee had even whipped out his notebook to sketch the map.

"Inside this limited space, you will have to go through a certain survival program. The program consists of..." She paused for effect and rolled up the scroll and placed it back into her coat.

"But-" Lee started. I quickly shushed him.

"A competition where anything goes... Over these scrolls." Anko held up two scrolls. One a cream color, the other navy blue. If it weren't for the writing on the labels, they could have passed for one of the dozens I had in various pockets and my pouch.

"Scrolls?"

"Yes. The Scroll of Heaven and Scroll of Earth. You will fight over these scrolls. Twenty-six teams in total passed the first exam. Half of these teams will get the Scroll of Heaven, the other half will get the Scroll of Earth. Each team will receive one."

"And? What's needed to pass?"

"Bring the Scrolls of Heaven and Earth to the tower with your teammates."

"In other words," the pink haired girl said, "the thirteen teams that get their scroll stolen will fail."

"It needs to be done within time limit. This second exam has a limit of 120 hours, exactly five days," Anko explained.

"Five days?!" a platinum blonde girl shrieked.

"What about food?" One plump boy sounded panicky.

"Find it yourself. The forest is a treasure box of nature. There should be plenty of food."

"However." The man with silver hair and glasses began. I recognized him as the one who was attacked by the sound-nin the day before. "There are a lot of man-eating beasts, poison bugs and plants."

"Oh no," the boy from earlier moaned.

"Idiot, that's why it's called a survival test!" his female teammate scolded.

"Also, it's not possible for thirteen teams to pass," Neji said monotonously, but there was a hint of interest in his tone.

"As time passes, you will be required to move more. So the time to rest your body will be shorter. This seems pretty rough." Lee grinned.

"And we're surrounded by enemies. We won't be able to sleep in peace." This time, it was the cute guy whose name Neji wanted to know. I think he's called Sasuke or something.

"People will be hurt in the process of fighting over a scroll and those who cannot take this program's strictness will be too," Anko said.

"Are we allowed to give up?" someone drawled.

"As a rule, you are not allowed to give up during the exam. You will spend five days in the forest. While we're on this topic, here are the conditions that will fail you." Anko held up a finger.

"First, a team that cannot bring both scrolls to the tower in the given time with all three teammates intact." She added another finger. "Second, the team that loses a teammates or one that is incapacitated will fail. Also, just a note, you're not allowed to look inside the scrolls until you reach the tower."

"What happens if you look?" Naruto asked.

"That's a surprise," Anko replied almost cheerfully, but I could hear the underlying threat in her genial tone. "If you become a Chuunin, you will be handling top secret documents. This is to determine your reliability. That's it for the explanation."

"Submit your consent forms and get a scroll there." She pointed at a wooden stand with three other examiners sitting at a long desk. "And after picking your gate entrance, everyone will begin at the same time."

Anko sighed heavily.

"Here's a last piece of advice. Don't die."

* * *

Once everyone got their scrolls, they went to their chosen gate, ours being 41. After consulting his watch, the examiner in charge of our gate began unlocking it. The heavy chains fell to the ground with a clang. 

"We will now begin the Chuunin Selection Second Exam!" Anko shouted.

The gates flew open and we dashed in. When we reached the forest, we headed for the tree-tops. Jumping from branch to branch would be faster as compared to running on the ground, and, hopefully, safer.

Neji and I maintained a steady pace while Lee was gradually getting further and further away from us.

"Don't be so hasty, Lee," Neji chided. "It's only just begun."

"I know. But I can't stay still when I think of all the strong enemies that await us," Lee said excitedly, speeding ahead.

"Hot-headed fool," I heard Neji mutter.

"Lee, wait up!" I shouted and Lee immediately halted.

"Tenten, you're going to reveal our location to the enemy," Neji warned, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

I rolled my eyes, "I wasn't that loud. You don't have to be so paranoid."

"What should we do now?" Lee asked after we caught up.

"The first thing we have to do is find food and water." I had a mental image of a chibi Neji happily roasting a squirrel over a fire while chibi Lee cried waterfalls in the background. "We'll worry about finding the scroll we need later."

"The examiner said there was a river here, right? We'll be able to find water there," I contributed. "And where there's a river, there'll be fish." Neji nodded and activated his byakugan.

"The river isn't anywhere within a radius of 50 meters of our current location." Neji deactivated byakugan to conserve chakra. "Lee, can I see that map?" Lee handed his notebook to Neji who started studying it.

"Lee are you sure you copied it correctly?" I questioned, looking at the page over Neji's shoulder.

"Not really," Lee smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't really see. I'm sorry."

Neji sighed. "It doesn't matter, we're only losing an advantage we weren't supposed to have in the first place. Our best bet would be to continue heading straight, towards the tower. If I remember correctly, the river should be located near-by."

"Yosh! I shall find the river within the next hour or I will not sleep!" Lee hollered. The corner of Neji's mouth twitched.

"Lee-" Neji was ignored and Lee continued his rant, his voice growing louder with every syllable.

"My youth will-" I clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Be quiet!" I snapped. Lee nodded and I released him.

Neji's frown deepened and he glared pointedly at our loudmouthed teammate. "We'd better get moving before an enemy finds us."

"Sorry," Lee whispered and we started running again.

* * *

Nothing much had happened since the exam started, neither did we run into any enemies. I suppose we were one of the luckier teams.

While we were travelling, all three of us heard and seen a large group of birds take flight. Something, or someone, must have scared them off. I wonder which would have been better; the former, or the latter. Neither of them sounded very comforting.

The rest of our journey had continued in silence, only broken by the rhythmic thumping as our sandals hit the branches and the occasional animal call.

Night had fallen by the time we managed to find what we were looking for.

After filling our bottles and having some dinner, the three of us took a break. Neji and Lee were sitting down on the gnarled, protruding roots of one of the large trees. I was standing in the middle of the two, leaning against the bark and sipping water out of a bottle. Barely a meter away, a silvery stream flowed almost noiselessly.

"We were able to secure food and water in the first twelve hours," Neji summed up the events of the last half-day, swinging the kunai he was holding back and forth. "Right now, there should be a lot of teams who are resting."

"As planned, we'll use this time to our advantage. We'll all separate and scout the area individually. However, whether you see another team or not," Neji stood up, tossing the kunai upwards. "Come back here," he said, catching it and throwing the kunai onto the ground. It stood erect, marking the place we were supposed to meet. "Got it?"

"Ok," I answered.

"Roger," Lee saluted and stood up.

Neji waited until both of us were ready. "Ok," He raised his hand and lowered it sharply. It was the signal for us to leave.

"Go!"

The three of us took off.

* * *

I don't know how much time had passed since we split up. I had been on the move almost non-stop for most of the time, trying to find an enemy team. So far I had been unsuccessful. 

Lee would have an easier time; he had more stamina and could cover more ground with his speed. Neji would have no problem finding the enemy with his byakugan.

I landed on the ground, panting slightly. As I was reaching into my pouch, I thought I heard a rustling sound coming from the trees above. I palmed a few shuriken while I was taking out my bottle just in case.

The rustling was getting louder, then it suddenly stopped. I hurled the shuriken at the clump of leaves. Then, a figure landed several meters away. I whipped a kunai out of my holster.

"Who is it?"

"Tenten?"

I blinked. That voice sounded... familiar.

The figure walked out of the shadows and into view. The spiky brown hair and green eyes were unmistakable.

"Makoto!" I gasped, lowering my kunai. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean 'what am I doing here'? I'm taking the Chuunin Exams!" His eyes narrowed when he saw my surprised expression. "What? You think I'm not good enough?"

"It's not like that, I didn't know you were taking the exams too," I hastily explained, but Makoto didn't look convinced.

"Why are you out this late?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same question."

"It's not my fault! I wanted to sleep, but Fuuma insisted that we go scouting in the middle of the night!"

"I thought you were happy to be in his team?"

"I was because I thought it meant that I was good, not to mention I didn't know him well. Now I wish that I didn't even meet that stupid prick."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is he really that bad?"

"Yes."

"If you say so," I shrugged. Makoto's frown didn't disappear completely, but he dropped the topic.

"What about you? You're on the same team as Lee."

"He isn't bad once you get to know him."

Makoto looked confused. "I thought you were into Neji?"

I hit him on the head.

"Oww! You know, you already owe me a new shirt," he pointed to a small rip on his left sleeve. "I'd better get going before pretty boy throws a fit. See ya," Makoto waved and ran off, disappearing into the darkness.

Shaking my head, I put the kunai back into my holster, drank my water and continued on my way. Kazuya-san wouldn't be the only one "throwing a fit" if I didn't find any of our enemies soon.

It didn't occur to me then that I already had.

One of them, at any rate.

* * *

When I arrived at the appointed meeting place the next morning, I was greeted with a 'hn'. 

"Neji, have you seen Lee?"

"No."

"He's late. Lee..." I groaned. "Something's wrong, He's always on time," I murmured, voicing my thoughts aloud. "Maybe he encountered an enemy." I faltered when I realized what could have happened.

"Did he-"

"Hn," Neji said with a little smirk. "That's not possible. Anyway, let's go look for him." I nodded and both of us jumped up into the trees.

"Byakugan." Neji began scanning the area within range of his bloodline limit. I waited hopefully, only to be disappointed when he shook his head and deactivated byakugan.

Both of us were jumping from branch to branch as quickly as we could. For a moment, Neji seemed to be lost in thought.

"Neji-" I was cut off by a muffled crash. I looked at Neji and our eyes locked for a second or two before we headed in the direction of the noise.

* * *

We were approaching a large clearing located quite some distance from our original location. Neji had confirmed that Lee was there and that there was a fight going on between some sound-nin and our fellow Konoha shinobi; some of the rookies. 

"Close. You almost had us." The taunting voice could be heard from a few meters away.

Neji and I landed on the last branch and heard one of the sound-nin say, "You let your guard down."

"How disgusting," Neji crossed his arms over his chest. I had seen him in that pose many times before, but for some reason he looked really cool as he glared condescendingly at the sound ninja. "A minor sound ninja acting like you've won because you beat these second-class ninja?"

"What?!" the sound-nin whose face was wrapped in bandages shouted. Everyone else looked up at us.

My eyes widened when I found the person we were looking for. "Lee!" Our teammate was lying on the ground, unconscious.

"It looks like he overdid it," Neji commented.

"Heh! You guys just keep coming out like roaches!" the spiky haired sound-nin scoffed.

"That bobbed-hair kid there is from our team." Neji formed a one-handed seal, activating byakugan. "Looks like you went overboard with him!" Even though his anger wasn't directed at me, I still flinched at the harshness of his tone. I could only imagine how terrified the other ninja must have been. "If you're going to continue to fight, we will fight you with everything we have."

I reached for my holster, but Neji had deactivated his byakugan, an almost shocked expression on his face.

"What is it, Neji?" The boy beside me only frowned slightly.

"If you don't like what we're doing, stop showing off and come down here."

"No," Neji smirked. "It seems that there's no need for me to do that."

* * *

Then I felt it. Everyone did. All attention was focused on the dark purple waves of chakra coming out of that Sasuke kid. He seemed to be unconscious, yet he was giving off bursts of chakra that made me shiver. 

And it wasn't because of the temperature.

Suddenly the amount of chakra increased until he was completely obscured by the purple mass. As the chakra swirled around him, the pink haired girl shouted, "Sasuke-kun! You're awake-"

Sasuke started to get up slowly. The left half of his face and his entire arm were covered in red glowing marks. Not a single person moved or spoke, their eyes glued to the scene.

"Sakura," he addressed his pink haired teammate. "Who did that to you?"

"Sasuke-kun... Your body..." The Uchiha looked at his hand as though contemplating, then he lowered it.

"Don't worry. More importantly, I can feel power surging inside me. I'm feeling good right now. He gave it to me. I finally understand now. I'm an avenger. I must obtain power no matter what, even if I must let the devil take hold of my soul. Sakura, tell me! Who the hell hurt you?!"

"I did!" Sasuke turned to look straight at the sound-nin who had shouted. I had a feeling that he had just signed his death sentence.

"Ino!" the pineapple haired boy shouted to the female sound-nin from his hiding spot in the bushes. "You're going to get confused as the enemy. Return to your own body! Choji, you too. We're going to hide."

"Ok!" The fat boy joined his friend in the bushes. The female sound-nin formed a seal and collapsed. I really couldn't blame any of them for running away.

"Neji, what about Lee?" I asked about to jump down to retrieve Lee. Neji grabbed my wrist.

"If you go down you'll be killed. Don't worry about Lee, look." I did and saw that Sasuke was focusing solely on the sound-nin. Lee was being completely ignored.

Thank god.

"Dosu! Don't be afraid of that half-dead guy!" The spiky haired sound-nin clapped his hands together.

"No! Stop Zaku! Don't you understand?!" Dosu screamed.

Zaku ignored him. "I'll kill them all with this! I'll finish this in a flash. Maximum Aircutter!"

"Tenten, get down," Neji instructed hurriedly. I obeyed just in time, Neji doing the same himself. An extremely strong gust of wind threatened to blow us off our branch. I grabbed onto the tree trunk and held on tightly.

When it was all over, I heard the sound-nin say.

"They blew up into pieces."

"Who did?" Sasuke's voice asked, he himself behind the sound-nin. He dealt an uppercut with his elbow and sent Zaku flying.

"Zaku!" The said ninja was slowly getting up. Both sound ninjas gasped when they saw Sasuke formed several hand seals at an unbelievable speed.

"Katon Housenka no jutsu!" Balls of fire flew towards the sound-nin named Zaku who had just gotten back on his feet.

"Don't get so cocky. I'll get rid of it!" He sent an air current at the fireballs and the flames were extinguished. "What?! There are shuriken in the fire!" He yelled out in pain as the shuriken hit him.

"Zaku! Below you!" Sasuke had appeared exactly where Dosu had warned his teammate about. The next thing I knew, Sasuke had grabbed his opponent's arms and was stepping on his back.

"You seem to be proud of your arms."

"Stop it," the sound-nin pleaded.

Sasuke snapped his arms upwards. A loud scream and cracks filled the clearing as the sound-nins' arms broke. He would never so much as hold a kunai again.

Uchiha looked at the remaining sound-nin. "That leaves just you." The sound-nin trembled visibly. "You better entertain me better than he did." He walked towards his next victim.

"Stop!" the pink haired girl shrieked, running towards her teammate and hugging him from behind. "Stop!" she repeated. "Please... stop."

After a long silence, the black marks on his body glowed red and started to disappear.

* * *

Sasuke collapsed, panting heavily. 

"You're strong," Dosu said, holding out his Scroll of Earth. "Sasuke-kun, we cannot defeat you. Let's make a deal, let us leave for now." He went to pick up his fallen teammates. He said something that I couldn't make out and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Sakura shouted. "Who is Orochimaru! What did he do to Sasuke-kun?! Why Sasuke-kun?!"

I couldn't hear the sound ninja's reply, but whatever he had said caused the pink-haired girl to continue staring at them until they were out of sight.

"Hey, are you ok?" Choji and the pineapple haired boy ran towards the sleeping blonde kid. I hadn't even noticed him until now. How he could have slept through the whole thing was beyond me.

"It's troublesome, Ino, but you take care of that Lee guy."

"Ok!" The girl clad in purple was helping Lee up.

The pineapple haired boy and his teammate hit the loudmouth's head with a stick. He lived up to his reputation and woke up with a loud scream.

"Everyone, hide! No, get down!" Choji poked the obviously confused blonde with his stick. He kept quiet for a minute.

"Sakura-chan!" He ran to his teammates, stumbling every now and then. "Sakura-chan! What happened to your hair?!"

While Sakura was giving her reply, I looked at Neji. He was staring intently at Uchiha, unfazed by what we had witnessed earlier.

"Neji, I'm going to get Lee."

"Hn."

I jumped down and landed in front of the platinum blonde haired girl. "I'll take him."

"Ok..." She handed Lee over and I started shaking him violently.

"Wake up, Lee!" I let go of him and he landed in a sitting position.

"Tenten," he said blearily. "Why are you here?"

"We came to help you."

"Huh? Where did the sound ninja go?" he asked, looking from side to side.

"That Sasuke boy drove them away."

"I see..." He turned to look at the aforementioned boy.

"Why did you take action on your own? On top of that, you're badly hurt!" I scolded shrilly.

"Sakura-san was in danger, so as a man, I had to..." I thought he had better sense than to do that.

"You really are an idiot!"

"I can't argue with that," Lee admitted, drawing his knees to his chest.

"Aha!" Naruto shouted, running towards us. "You're the fuzzy eyebrows guy!"

"Naruto! Don't talk to Lee-san like that!" Sakura punched him so hard that he flew a couple of meters. "Lee-san, thank you," she smiled. "Thanks to you, my eyes are wide open now. I think I've become a little stronger."

Lee looked like he was going to cry. "Sakura-san..." He rubbed his eyes. "It looks like I need more training. Sasuke-kun, you live up to the reputation of the Uchiha clan. You drove the sound-nins away. You truly are strong. I lost horribly," Lee sighed dejectedly.

"Sakura-san, the lotus in Konoha blooms twice. The next time we meet, I promise that I will be a stronger man."

Sakura smiled at Lee's words and looked as though she wanted to say something when the blonde girl called her name.

"Sakura! Come here!" Ino was waving at her with one hand, a kunai in the other. "I'll fix up your hair!"

"Thanks." Sakura joined her friend while Sasuke had stuck his hands in his pockets and walked away, leaving Lee and I alone.

"Lee, what exactly did you do to get this beat up?"

"I used the Omote Renge," he said meekly. I was unable to come up with a response to what he had just told me. The only thought that crossed my mind was that Neji was definitely not going to be very pleased when he heard about this.

"Come on." I offered Lee a hand, but he shook his head. He managed to get up on his own, so I guess he was in better shape than I'd first thought.

Once we had rejoined Neji, we left the clearing and headed for our "base" near the river.

* * *

It was a good thing that we didn't have to travel far. Lee was practically dead on his feet, but he had stubbornly refused any help. He would need lots of rest in order to recover from the strain of using Primary Lotus. We were supposed to go scouting at night again, so Neji and I had to get some sleep before then as well. 

I volunteered to take the first watch.

Lee was snoring gently, his limbs strewn over the ground in funny positions. The pouch he was using as a pillow had somehow ended up next to his foot. Neji had hardly moved since he started sleeping, his right hand practically glued to his thigh holster.

"Gai-sensei..." Lee murmured as he rolled over.

Smiling slightly, I reached into my pouch to check if our scroll was still there. Ever since the incident with the sound-nins, I'd been a bit more edgy than usual. Those sound ninja had beaten Lee even after he used his strongest technique. If they were that strong, then what about the other participants?

"Tenten." I nearly jumped when I heard my name before sighing in relief when I realized that it was just Neji. "It's my watch now."

"It is?" I couldn't really tell what time it was since the sunlight was blocked by the dense canopy of leaves above, but I estimated it to be sometime in the afternoon.

"Hn."

I took off my pouch and laid down on the ground, my head resting on my makeshift pillow. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but I couldn't. If I can't sleep, I might as well so something useful.

I sat up. "Neji, I'm going to scout around for a while."

"Don't go too far."

"I won't." I strapped on my pouch again. "Oh, I almost forgot." I handed the scroll to Neji. "I'll be back soon."

"Be careful."

I nodded and leapt into the trees.

* * *

I hadn't gotten far when I felt a strange chakra presence. I tracked it down to a large open space in the middle of the forest. 

The second I entered in the clearing, I felt strangely light headed. My vision was so blurry that it felt as if I was looking through water. After I blinked a few times, the dizziness faded and my vision returned to normal.

I touched my forehead to see if it was warm, but I didn't have a fever. Maybe I was just tired.

All of a sudden, three rain-nin jumped out of the bushes and charged towards me. I was taken completely by surprise as I hadn't sensed their presence at all.

I took out a kunai and crouched down in a defensive stance.

Before I could even throw it, the ninja were killed by some well-aimed shuriken. The person who threw them landed in front of me.

"Neji!"

"Tenten, do you still have the scroll?" I opened my mouth to reply.

Wait a minute. Isn't the scroll supposed to be with him?

My grip on the kunai tightened and I sliced at the impostor. "Neji" smirked and jumped back to avoid my attack.

Suddenly, I recognized a faint whistling sound. I looked up and saw hundreds of weapons raining down from above.

Now I know how Neji felt every time we sparred, but he had his kaiten to block my weapons. I didn't. There were simply too many of them for me to dodge and there wasn't enough time to do kawarimi.

My mind was blank as I watched the fuuma shuriken that was directly above me drawing closer. Only one word could properly describe my current situation.

Shit.

* * *

Author's Note: 

Hi, I'm finally back after a long break. Sorry for the wait.

It took me ages to properly plan out this chapter. I know a lot of the scenes were already covered in the anime, but they're essential to the plotline. I've added some scenes in between that contribute to the plot in the next chapter and help the story to flow better.

I am very happy to report that I should be finished with the next chapter by the end of this year. I got some ideas for it while planning out this one.

Beta-read by Midnight Memories. Extra thanks to her for pointing out all the mistakes and fragmented sentences. It can't be much fun, especially since it's almost Christmas.

Hope you have a good Christmas!


	21. Part 2: Weapon Master & Weapon Mistress

Disclaimer: All hail Kishimoto-sensei, the almighty creator of Naruto. (Translation: Me no own.)

* * *

_My mind was blank as I watched the fuuma shuriken that was directly above me drawing closer. Only one word could properly describe my current situation._

_Shit.

* * *

_

'This is no time to be cursing!' the part of my brain that was still rational, thanks to years of ninja training, screamed at me. 'You're a kunoichi for heaven's sake. Stop staring and do something!'

But what was there to do? I didn't have Lee's speed, neither was I a Hyuga with special Jyuken techniques. Even if I did manage to block one or two, there would still be more than enough left to massacre an entire army, let alone one shinobi.

An image of myself being impaled by every single one of those weapons appeared before my mind's eye and I shuddered. If I somehow miraculously survived, I would make sure to apologize to Lee for all the trauma my weapon barrages must have caused him.

And Neji too, I guess.

So there I was standing somewhere in the middle of the Forest of Death. Oddly enough, I wasn't going to be killed by the poisonous plants, or even the animals that lived there. I was literally awaiting my doom at the hands of something that was practically identical to my own technique.

Oh, the irony of it all...

On instinct, I bent down and raised my arms to cover my neck and head. Hopefully, none of the weapons would hit anything too vital. At least then I would have a chance to make it back to Neji and Lee alive.

The sound of metal against metal was the most wonderful sound I had ever heard in my entire life. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the fuuma shuriken from earlier and a kunai lodge themselves firmly in the ground a few feet away from me.

Then my breath hitched in my throat when I realized that it was silent once more.

Was this some new form of sick torture? Scare the victim out of their wits and then deflect your own shuriken to make them think that help was on the way when there wasn't? Maybe I should try it on Neji the next time we trained. That is, If there was a next time.

"Tenten, those weapons are a genjutsu!"

Genjutsu? I looked up and saw that where the weapons had been moments before, there was nothing now but thin air. A few seconds later, Neji landed beside me, byakugan activated.

"Neji, why are you-"

"You were taking a long time, so I decided to check," he explained. I was going to ask him something, but he was two steps ahead. "Lee's awake."

Neji threw several shuriken at two of the branches that were hidden behind leaves. Two people jumped down from one, and a third shinobi from another.

"It's been a while, Hyuga," the one standing in the middle said tonelessly, walking out of the shade and into view. The wavy golden brown hair framing his face felt slightly out of place amongst his dark coloured clothing and lightly tanned skin. His eyes were hidden behind his bangs, but I knew exactly who he was.

"I could say the same," Neji's pale lavender eyes met the other boy's storm cloud grey ones. "Fuuma."

If Kazuya was here, that meant the other two were...

"You tried to kill me?" I questionned. The mousy brown haired girl on the left, who I recognized as my ex-classmate Akane, kept her eyes on the ground while Makoto shifted uncomfortably. Neither of them said anything.

"Tenten-san," Kazuya addressed me calmly. "When we're in this forest, everyone else is an enemy regardless of any personal history or relationship we may have with them."

"You-"

"He's right, Tenten," Neji said quietly. "We are enemies." The coldness of his voice matched Kazuya's right down to the last degree. The latter threw three shuriken at an unfazed Neji who caught the one in the center, the rest passing through him harmlessly. Neji directed his gaze at the other girl in the clearing.

"So you're the one using the genjutsu." Neji's glare intensified and she flinched visibly. "You can't fool my eyes." The veins around his byakugan grew more pronounced. Akane managed to choke out a small gasp, Makoto was shocked and even Kazuya had the grace to look taken aback. The shuriken Neji sent back at Kazuya was dodged and both of them began exchanging blows.

"Sorry," Makoto muttered as he sped towards me.

* * *

I jumped backwards, flipping in the air to dodge Makoto's kick and landing just in time to move to the side. The kunai dug into the bark of the tree behind me with a soft thud. I regained my footing, bracing myself for another one of his attacks. 

I wasn't too keen on using my usual technique on him or any member of his team for that matter. Makoto and I may not have been really close, but we were still friends.

Makoto charged forward and I did a side kick, which he blocked with his arm. I gave him another kick to the head and he ducked, failing to notice the punch aimed for his arm. Makoto reeled back, clutching his shoulder.

"Tenten, you still hit like a girl!" he shouted half-teasingly, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"It's not like you're any better," I snapped indignantly, punching his other arm.

For a minute, it felt as though I had turned back time. Back to when we were just academy students, back to when the only kind of fighting that we did were friendly spars that were filled with playful banter and ended with the loser doing something weird.

Back to when we weren't shinobi...

"Reminds you of the times we used to spar, huh?" Makoto asked, fending off the blow with his uninjured arm.

Nonetheless, we _are _shinobi and nothing could ever change that...

I nodded, using a substitution jutsu and reappearing above him, kunai in hand.

But did being a shinobi mean that I had to make an enemy out of my friend just for a scroll?

Instead of stabbing him like I would any other opponent, I used my kunai-free hand to ruffle his hair for good measure before using his head as leverage to flip and land behind him. I watched as his hands flew to the top of his head, laughing as he tried to return the carefully gelled up spikes to their former appearance.

"You know, if I had been anyone else, you'd be dead," I said with a smile. Makoto turned to look at me, somewhat stunned. "Close your mouth, you look like a fish."

I had decided to forgive him for trying to murder me. After all, I was going to kick his ass.

It wasn't long before Makoto grinned back, vaguely reminding me of Lee. "Loser has to cut their hair?"

The smile turned into a confident smirk, "You're on."

* * *

While I was busy with Makoto, Neji was fighting Kazuya. He didn't seem to be having a particularly hard time, neither was he having an easy one. He had yet to use any of his Jyuken moves, but Kazuya didn't look like he was giving his all either. I glanced briefly at Neji to see him catching Kazuya's fist with his palm. 

"You may not be fooled, but I can't say the same for her." I quickly turned my attention back to Makoto and saw an oncoming wave of shuriken and kunai that would have shamed even me. Remembering what Neji had done earlier, I deflected the ones in the middle, the rest were just an illusion. I angled my head to face Kazuya.

"You were saying?"

Makoto snickered and Neji's smirk held a trace of a smile. Kazuya formed several hand seals before hurling a fuuma shuriken at me. I immediately threw the kunai I was holding at the approaching weapon.

I missed by a hair's breadth.

I was able to jump out of the way just in time and the fuuma shuriken hit a fallen one. A resounding clang reveraberated throughout the clearing, filling the silence that had ensued. It was followed by a thump as it was embedded in the ground beside its twin.

"You missed?" Makoto asked softly, the surprise on his face mirroring Akane's. The other girl had even uttered a small gasp. Everyone in the academy, even those who I didn't know personally, had heard of my impeccable aim. Neji looked questioningly at me before his eyes narrowed and he glared almost accusingly at Kazuya.

Unlike everyone else, I wasn't shocked that I had missed. In fact, I could have sworn that the fuuma shuriken had veered to the side just before my kunai hit it, but I hadn't seen any chakra strings or anything of the sort.

Kazuya leapt backwards, repeated the same hand seals and threw several more of his trademark fuuma shuriken. This time, they were heading for Neji. My sparring partner had already whipped out shuriken of his own.

My eyes widened as realization dawned on me.

"Neji, use Kaiten!" I shouted. Not a second too soon, Neji started spinning on his heel and a dome of chakra formed around him. The shuriken that came into contact with the chakra ricoheted off.

Kazuya's smug smile faltered, but it was back in place when he looked at me amusedly. "I guess you found out."

"Behind you!" Akane's voice called out for the first time since she arrived. I whirled around and saw the shuriken that had failed to hit Neji heading towards me, glinting in the sunlight.

I leapt up and threw some kunai at the fuuma shuriken.

"Looks like you missed," Kazuya said. I gave him a smirk worthy of Neji and detonated the explosive tags that were wrapped around the handles of the kunai. They exploded with a satisfyingly loud bang, creating a large cloud of smoke and decimating the fuuma shuriken.

I smiled sweetly at Kazuya's frowning face. On the other side of the clearing, Makoto was, rather unsuccessfully, trying to stifle his laughter; his female teammate merely gaped from her spot under a tree. Neji observed the scene amusedly, a smirk playing on his lips all the while.

* * *

I landed beside Neji as the dust from the explosion settled. 

"He's able to control the path of his shuriken."

"Hn," Neji grunted, obviously displeased that I had figured it out before he had.

"That was an interesting technique, Hyuga," Kazuya commented, taking out another fuuma shuriken and forming hand seals. "But it isn't good enough."

The fuuma shuriken's razor sharp blades spun rapidly as they sliced through the air, glowing blue with chakra. I jumped out of the way for Neji to do his Kaiten. The projectile hit the barrier of chakra, but was not deflected.

"How-" That was all I had managed to choke out. A lump that I didn't realized had formed in my throat made me to lose all ability to speak. Neji's Kaiten, his ultimate defense which could stand up to wave after wave of over hundreds of weapons, was on par with a single fuuma shuriken.

In spite of my shock, I reached for my holster and was more than annoyed to find that I was out of kunai as well as explosive tags. Cursing inwardly, I whipped out a scroll to summon something. A staff, katana, anything would do as long as it had a handle. As I was about to unhook the clasp, a kunai sliced through the paper, narrowly missing my hand.

I glared at Kazuya, seeing as he was the only one who could have thrown the kunai and he shrugged. Shuriken would be blocked too easily, my short ranged weapons were gone. All of my remaining kunai were in my scrolls. If I so much as took one out, it would most likely suffer the same fate as the previous one.

I hurriedly ran through my entire arsenal in my head, trying to find something suitable, but my mind had remained unhelpfully blank.

There was nothing I could do but stare as Neji began to slow down, the weapon gradually starting to penetrate his Kaiten. I swallowed so hard that it was painful.

As I glowered at Kazuya's fuuma shuriken, the memory of the first time I had seen one came to mind. The way one blade had split into four, like magic.

I grabbed a fuuma shuriken from my pouch, gripping the metal ring tightly. Kazuya made no move to stop me, merely watching intently. His gaze became intrigued when I did not fan it open.

Jumping up, I sliced at the fuuma shuriken that was caught in Neji's Kaiten with my improvised kunai. One of the other fuuma shuriken's points embedded itself in the ground at the edge of the small crater Kaiten had left behind just as Neji slowed to a halt.

Suddenly, there was a small-explosion and large thick clouds of smoke filled the clearing. Neji and I jumped up and landed on a branch high above the smoke.

A few minutes later, the smoke cleared and the three of them were gone.

"Neji?" I was waiting for Neji to decide what we should do. I was relieved when he deactivated his byakugan.

"There's no need for us to pursue them. They have the Heaven scroll too," Neji stated simply.

I blinked, feeling slightly confused and somewhat irritated.

"Then why did you fight?"

Neji didn't reply as he turned around and started heading back to camp.

"Let's go. Lee's waiting for us."

* * *

It was late and once again, the three of us had split up to go scouting. As usual, I was jumping from branch to branch, which wasn't easy since I could barely see where I was supposed to land, and trying to find an enemy team. 

The Forest of Death was so much more eerie at night. During the day, the large, overgrown trees had cast their shadows over the entire forest, making it seem darker than it actually was. Now, it was even harder to see, and the fact that the only source of natural light was completely obscured by dark grey clouds was not helping.

After nearly slipping several times, I chose to continue via solid ground. However ground was a bit of a misnomer because it wasn't ground that I was stepping on when I landed. It was too soft.

Out of the darkness, a yellow reptilian eye the size of my fist was staring straight at me. It didn't look very happy.

I leapt up to avoid being throw off when the gigantic snake moved and used up an entire scroll on it. It was still alive, but that's not to say having numerous weapons thrown at you didn't hurt. The snake had started to thrash about wildly the second the first kunai had embedded itself in its scaly skin.

Just when I was about to take the chance and escape, the snake's flailing tail hit me squarely in the chest and sent me flying into a tree. White flashes danced before my eyes as my back hit the hard bark. I gritted my teeth to stop myself from screaming.

I didn't realize that I had closed my eyes, but when I opened them I wasn't met with a very welcome sight.

The snake was looming over me threateningly, its forked tongue waving from side to side as it hissed. It opened its mouth wide and reared back, preparing to strike.

It lunged at me, only to be sliced clean in half lengthwise by a larger version of the fuuma shuriken. The blood that had spurted out onto the ground was immediately washed away by the rain that had began to fall. It started off with a few tiny droplets, but it was getting heavier and heavier by the minute.

A figure landed in front of me. With the rain and lack of light, I couldn't really see who it was, but there was only one person I knew who would own a custom-made fuuma shuriken twice the size of the standard ones.

"I thought we were enemies." A raindrop trickled down the bridge of my nose and onto my cheek.

"Enemy or not, I won't deny my help when it's needed," the voice I had heard just this afternoon said quietly. He offered me a hand, but I did not take it. "Look, if we don't get out of this rain, both of us are going to die from hypothermia." He sounded more business-like, almost clinical.

I didn't want to admit it, but he was right.

Without waiting for me to speak, Kazuya grabbed my hand and helped me up. "There's a cave further up ahead, we can take shelter there."

* * *

By the time we reached the cave, the rain had progressed to a full blown storm. I was completely drenched and my teeth were chattering from the cold, but anything was better than being stuck in the freezing rain. I hope Lee and Neji managed to find a place to wait out the storm. 

We sat on either side of the small cave, a small pile of sticks that Kazuya had collected along the way between us. When they were dry, we could use them to build a fire, but in the meantime, the only thing we could do was wait.

Most girls would have killed to be in my position. For them, being stuck in a cave with Fuuma Kazuya, heir to the rather recently established Fuuma clan, would have been a dream come true. Of course, most of them were only interested in his looks, abilities and wealth. I doubt that any of them would have known that it was his family that invented the fuuma shuriken, which was one of my favourite weapons. Besides these basic facts, I didn't know anything else about him.

While I was thinking, a cynical thought came to mind.

"Are you going to take me hostage for our scroll or something?" I asked, causing Kazuya to look at me. His short, dark blonde hair was sticking to the sides of his face and his grey eyes held no emotion that I could discern.

"First of all, I'm not that kind of of guy. Second, your team has the Heaven's scroll too."

My eyes widened. "How did you-"

"That doujutsu that Hyuga used can see through things right?" He paused, waiting for my response. When there was none, he continued. "If we had the scroll you needed, he wouldn't have let us go," Kazuya said simply, seemingly oblivious to my shock. His skills of observation and insight far exceeded mine. If I didn't know better, I would have thought them to be as good as Neji's.

"By the way, what were you doing out at this time?"

"Scouting." I decided to keep my answers short in case he managed to get any information that he wasn't supposed to out of them.

"Hyuga's idea I presume." Kazuya reached for one of the sticks. "I thought I was the only one who came up with that idea."

He separated the sticks into two piles and took a piece of paper out of his pouch.

"You're going to use an explosive tag?" I asked incredulously. Explosive tags were one of the more expensive things on a shinobi's must-have list. I wouldn't have used one just to light a fire.

Kazuya quirked an eyebrow. "Unless you have matches."

"Never mind." I had forgotten that he was rich, unlike us normal shinobi.

For a long time, the only sound that could be heard was that of the rain tapping on the ground and the crackling of the wood as it burned. The entire cave was bathed in the orange glow of the fire and I almost sighed in relief. The warmth felt glorious on my cold, wet skin and I moved closer to the fire.

"You made an interesting move back then," Kazuya said suddenly and I was caught off guard.

"What?"

"With the fuuma shuriken. Most ninja outside my clan who use it only think of it as a shuriken. Not many people are aware that it can be used that way," he explained.

"Thanks," I replied awkwardly as I recalled what happened this afternoon. He was so cold then. Why was he being so... nice?

"Err...That jutsu you used, is it a bloodline limit?" Personally, I was hoping that it wasn't so that I would be able to learn it.

"It's a clan jutsu. Did you like it?" I nodded, trying to hide my disappointment. Kazuya shook his head slowly, the corners of his lips curving upwards.

"You're very different from other girls."

For the first time since he had found me in the forest, our eyes met. My gaze was curious, but his was just like Neji's, cool and confident. To me, it felt as if he was scrutinizing me, yet at the same time searching. He seemed to be looking for something that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

My cheeks started to grow warm and I looked back down at the ground. Kazuya must have sensed my discomfort as he opted for a change of topic.

"The rain is stopping, we should be able to leave soon."

* * *

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the heavy rain became a light drizzle, then stopped completely. Kazuya put out the fire and kicked some dirt over the ashes before both of us walked out of the cave. The sky was a deep blue colour that was gradually getting lighter and lighter. 

We were about to go our separate ways when three rain-nin appeared out of one of the large puddles on the ground. My hand flew to my holster and Kazuya armed himself with one of his fuuma shuriken. They must have seen the light of the fire and followed it to find us.

"How cute, a couple of kids playing ninja." The female slid a kunai from her holster and spun it twice around her fingers. "I wouldn't mind playing with them for a while."

Kazuya formed hand seals and threw the fuuma shuriken. It flew through the empty space between two of the ninja.

"Konoha's standards must be slipping. He can't even aim-" The bulky one in the middle was cut off when the fuuma shuriken hit him in the back. He let out a strangled cry before collapsing into a pool of his own blood.

"You shouldn't underestimate your opponent." The Kazuya from earlier was replaced by the one I had seen this afternoon.

"You little brat!" the woman shouted.

"You and your little girlfriend are going to get it now," the man ground out. Both of them charged towards us, kunai aloft.

My eyes narrowed when I heard the girlfriend comment. "The one who defeats more gets their scroll?" I asked, whipping one of my scrolls.

My temporary partner smirked and blocked their attacks with his signature weapon. While the two rain ninja were distracted by Kazuya, I jumped up and unraveled my scroll.

Time for a little payback.

The two rain-nins were impaled with nearly every weapon known to mankind. None of them were aimed for Kazuya, but his expression was priceless when he saw all the shuriken, scythes, kunai, maces etc. raining down on him.

When I landed next to him, Kazuya was bent over the bodies of the fallen ninja, searching through their pockets. After a minute or two, he straightened up, a Scroll of Earth in his hand and a smug smile on his face.

"I was right." He handed me the scroll. "I'll look forward to meeting you in the finals." Kazuya turned around and started to walk away, but he stopped after taking a few steps. He tossed something to me and I caught it deftly.

It was a fuuma shuriken.

"Take it; it's to make up for the scroll I ruined earlier."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he was already gone.

Maybe Kazuya wasn't as bad as I'd thought.

After making sure that both items were safely stored in my pouch, I jumped onto the nearest branch. Dawn was approaching. I couldn't wait to get back to our meeting place and see the looks on Lee and Neji's faces when I showed them the scroll.

* * *

Author's Note:

This chapter and the one before is a sort of late Christmas present. I hope you enjoyed them.

I can't think of anything else to say, but I guess I should clarify some things about our new character, Kazuya.

First of all, he doesn't have a split personality or somthing weird like that (my sis thought so at first). In a nutshell, he's a nice guy normally, but gets serious when it comes to missions and stuff. Second, he (and possibly his teammates) **will **be back. Not too sure when, but you can count on it. And lastly, I apologize for the lack of origniality in his surname.

A thousand thank yous to my friend, Midnight Memories, for beta reading this chapter.

Hope you all had a good Christmas.


	22. Part 3: Preliminaries, Part 1

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

* * *

Neji was quite surprised when I turned up with the scroll the next morning. Lee, on the other hand, was overjoyed at first. He later sank into a semi-depressed state and once he had announced the long list of extra and extended training he was going to do, he started muttering about how he had failed Gai-sensei by not finding a scroll too. 

Honestly speaking, I don't think he really cares which of us got it as long as we passed.

Then again, maybe he would care.

After running almost continuously for hours despite our lack of sleep and managing to avoid meeting any enemies with the aid of Neji's byakugan, we made it to the tower by mid-afternoon.

The tower was much more impressive up close than it had seemed from a distance. It was a tall, circular building that stuck out of the forest like a sore thumb, its red exterior clashing horribly with the sea of green that surrounded it.

We followed the wall of the tower until we found an entrance; bright red double-doors with a piece of paper saying 'door' pasted across the gap. I immediately recognized it as one of the special seals we had learnt about back at the academy. This particular seal was pasted across doorways as a security measure. When the door was opened, the seal would tear, alerting the person who set it there. Normally, these kinds of seals were small so they wouldn't be easily noticed, but the one I was currently looking at was about the size of a normal sheet of paper. Obviously, they served the twin purposes of letting the examiners know that a team had reached the tower as well as to act as a sort of label for the more dense shinobi. In other words, idiot-proof.

Neji pushed the doors open and entered, followed by myself and Lee. A big sign written in neat calligraphy was the first thing that we saw. We walked into the middle of the otherwise empty room to get a closer look.

"If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared," Neji recited. "If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. If you have both Heaven and Earth, dangerous paths turn into safe ones. This is the secret of something. It shall lead your way."

"What does that mean?" I asked Neji, who looked thoughtful.

"It sounds so inspiring and youthful!" Lee said seriously, quickly scribbling down the verse into his notebook.

"There's a missing word so I can't be sure, but I think it refers to the scrolls," Neji reasoned, taking the two scrolls out of his pouch and handing one of them to me. We reached for the clasp simultaneously and pulled the scrolls open.

The inside was filled with undecipherable writing, except for the large word "person" in the middle of the symbols. A moment later, Neji grabbed the scroll I was holding and hurled both of them away from us. A trail of white smoke followed their path through the air and there was a loud "poof" when the scrolls hit the ground.

All three of us were immediately on our guard.

A vague silhouette was visible through the fumes. Shortly after, the smoke dissipated, revealing an unfamiliar face, but the green tactical vest was unmistakable.

"Congratulations on completing the second round," the Chuunin drawled. He sounded extremely rehearsed and bored. "You guys have seen the sign, right? Basically what it says is that one needs to have a balance between intellect and physical strength to be a Chuunin. The missing word is "person". Now that we're done, let's move along."

He jumped onto one of the two elevated pathways on either side of the room and waited for us to join him before we headed for the doorway.

* * *

We walked into a large hall that was once again devoid of any furniture. Two other teams were gathered at opposite sides of the hall. I recognized the people standing at the other end of the room as one of the teams of sand-nin I had seen during the first exam. The other team, that was standing near-by, came as a bit of a surprise. 

"Hinata-chan?"

Hinata jumped and turned around. Smiling, I waved and walked over to join her.

The boy that was standing beside Hinata was wearing a dark grey coat with the fur-lined hood pulled over the top of his head. Bright red triangles were painted on the sides of his face. The other boy was standing near the wall. Majority of his face was either hidden by the large collar of his light blue jacket or his dark glasses, giving him an air of mystery. It was only when I saw his hair, did I realized that he was the person that I had copied from during the first exam.

"H-hello, Tenten-s-san," Hinata stammered, a light blush staining her pale cheeks. She was wearing a light grey windbreaker, in fact, the whole team seemed to be partial to jackets.

"Who's this?" the boy next to Hinata was leaning over and looked like he was... sniffing me.

"T-this is T-tenten. She's N-Neji-nii-san's t-teammate," Hinata explained timidly, twiddling her thumbs. I saw the boy's eyes narrowed when Neji's name was mentioned.

"What?" he shouted and Hinata and I were shocked by his sudden outburst. "You mean she's _his _teammate?!"

"K-Kiba-kun!" Hinata glanced furtively at Neji, who was standing at the door with Lee, before looking back down quickly.

"Hinata-" Kiba started.

"O-onegai, Kiba-kun," Hinata said pleadingly and Kiba quietened down.

Not really sure what to make of what had just happened, I decided that it would be better for me not to ask.

"What's that?" I asked curiously pointing to the white thing sticking out of the neck hole of Kiba's jacket.

Kiba didn't even bother looking down before replying. "That's my partner, Akamaru."

Did he just say partner?

I almost raised an eyebrow, but then I noticed that Kiba's jacket was quivering slighty.

"What's wrong with him?"

"We ran into those Sand guys when we were in the forest of death. He's been like this ever since," Kiba explained, cocking his head in the direction of the sand-nin.

I turned to look at the aforementioned sand-nin. True enough, they didn't look very friendly. Especially the red haired boy with the gourd slung over his back. Even from this end of the hall, I could still feel the poorly concealed murderous intent he was radiating with. No wonder little Akamaru was scared.

"Poor thing," I reached out to stroke Akamaru's exposed ear and he poked his head out, nuzzling my hand. His soft fur was mostly white with patches of brown on his ears. "He's pretty cute," I smiled. Kiba grinned, showing off his pointy teeth. Hinata was still twiddling her fingers, but she looked less nervous than she had a few minutes ago.

Lee appeared out of nowhere, giving everyone, especially Hinata, a shock. Akamaru yelped and dove back into the safety of Kiba's jacket, where he started whimpering and trembling again.

"Tenten-san! Neji is-" My loudmouthed teammate cut himself off when he saw Hinata.

"Wow! Are you a Hyuga?!" Lee asked excitedly.

"H-h-hai," Hinata stuttered.

"My teammate is a Hyuga too! How are you related?"

"Er... I..." Hinata's pale eyes darted from side to side and she shrunk back at Lee's scrutinizing gaze.

"Lee, don't just pop up like that," I scolded. "You scared Hinata-chan and-."

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, honest!"

"N-no, i-it's alright. I'm N-Neji-nii-san's c-cousin." Hinata's blush went from light pink from deep crimson as Lee's apologies increased in volume.

"Who are you?" Kiba asked, glaring at Lee. I'm sure he was thinking the exact same thing that I did every single day: What a weirdo...

"My name is Rock Lee," Lee said brightly. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Neji's cousin and..."

"Kiba, Inuzuka Kiba."

"Kiba-kun," Lee added before wandering off towards Shino who was standing in his corner.

"What's your name?" Lee asked politely.

"..."

"What are you doing?" Lee tried to get a better look at Shino's face by leaning in and circling him. Shino did not make any sound of protest and continued to ignore Lee.

Then again, he might have even been sleeping standing up. Who knows...

"That's Shino, he doesn't like to talk much," Kiba said.

"But speaking is a most important and youthful way of communicating with others in order to make new acquaintances!" Lee shouted, causing Kiba to stare at him as though he were from another planet while Hinata looked politely confused. Kiba was about to open his mouth to say something, but I quickly whispered.

"Don't ask."

"Does he have any friends?" Lee enquired and Kiba shrugged.

"Isn't he lonely?"

"Who knows?" Kiba replied.

"Then from this moment on, I shall be your friend!" Lee's declaration made almost eveyone in the vicinity stare at him and Shino. This time, both Kiba and Hinata were looking at Shino, who merely pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. I just sighed and rolled my eyes.

"No," Shino said in a voice so toneless that it was even more emotionless than Neji's.

Lee's face fell for a minute before he brightened up again. "I know! I'll introduce you to Neji-kun and see if he wants to be your friend!"

Lee must have taken Shino's silence as consent and he proceede to practically drag Shino over to an unsuspecting Neji.

"How do you put up with this guy? Kiba asked incredulously.

"I have no idea," I sighed.

"I'm surprised that Neji hasn't murdered him yet," Kiba muttered under his breath. My mind had started drifting off once Lee left but I could vaguely remember that Neji had come close to doing exactly that, but maybe this wasn't the best time to mention that...

"If he did, at least he'd be doing the the world a favour instead of-"

"K-Kiba-kun!" Hinata interrupted him before he could say more.

I had heard everything, but nothing that Kiba had said was making any sense. It looked like the lack of sleep was finally getting to me. I barely stiffled a yawn as I mumbled a quick good-bye to Hinata and her teammate.

I seriously needed a nap.

* * *

The relief of knowing that I could sleep in peace without the fear of being attacked halfway, coupled with my exhaustion, made me spend almost an entire day sleeping. Even the lack of a proper bed and pillows couldn't keep me awake. I only woke up every few hours to eat and what not. 

It was around late afternoon on the second last day by the time I felt fully rested enough to rouse myself.

The group of sound-nin that we met in the forest had arrived earlier that day. Dosu and and the female ninja were relatively unharmed. The one that had his arms broken by Sasuke had his now useless appendages wrapped in bandages and tied in slings to support them. They had stayed far away from us Konoha shinobi, preferring to sit in the Sand-nin's half of the hall.

Neji wasn't in the mood to talk and Lee was sound asleep, so I passed the time by chatting with Hinata and her teammates. Well, it was mostly Kiba since Hinata hardly said anything unless she was asked her opinion and when she was, she was often too shy to say much. stand. Shino, on the other hand, would stand to the side, listening to our rather pointless conversation and occasionally adding a comment or two.

When night came, I found myself unable to doze off, but it was probably because I had slept too much already. My back ached everytime I turned over, trying to find a comfortable position. This would happen on missions sometimes when I slept on the ground instead of in a sleeping bag, but this time, the pain was much worse. I could just imagine the examiners sleeping in their soft comfy beds while we had to sleep on the floor.

"A-ano... T-T-Tenten-san," Hinata-chan called out hesitantly, padding over to where I was lying down.

"Yeah?"

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. I smiled, wondering how long it must have taken her to muster up the courage to ask me.

I sat up, wincing when the muscles in my back tightened and a sharp pain shot down my back.

"Are you injured?"

"My back hurts," I groaned.

"I have some medicine, I can help you put some on if you like?" Hinata offered, helping me up and leading me to the washroom/changing room.

She sat me down on one of the benches and I lifted up the back of my shirt. The container of ointment that Hinata was holding hit the tiled floor with a clatter.

"H-how-" Hinata gasped.

I turned around to look at my back in the mirror and the sight made my stomach churn. It was covered in angry purple splotches. Gingerly, I touched the one in the middle of my back and flinched involuntarily.

Lowering myself gently back onto the bench, I explained. "I was off scouting at night when I accidentally stepped on a snake and it attacked me."

"Oh." Hinata retrieved her jar and spread the cool, soothing mixture over my bruises. I almost sighed in relief.

"Don't tell Neji though, or I'll never hear the end of it."

Hinata nodded, "I won't tell him."

Technically speaking, Neji wouldn't actually say anything about it, but I knew from past experience that he would have this annoyingly smug expression on his face whenever he regarded me for at least the next few hours. That is, if he ever found out.

Although I suppose he does look rather nice when he smirks like that-

"Ow!" I jerked away when Hinata accidentally rubbed my back too hard.

"G-gomen nasai!" Hinata stuttered frantically and I immediately felt guilty for raising my voice at her when she was the one helping me.

"No, it's ok," I said quickly, trying to think of how to start a conversation with Hinata so she wouldn't feel so nervous.

"What's Neji like at home?"

Hinata seemed to consider her reply before saying. "He's v-very quiet and s-serious. And h-he spends a l-lot of time t-training."

"That sounds like him," I commented dryly.

"A-are you c-close to N-Neji-nii-san?" Hinata asked shyly.

"Err... I guess you could say that. I mean he's a good teammate and a great sparring partner, but I guess it's just hard to really get to know someone like Neji," I answered as truthfully as I possibly could.

"Y-you s-spar with Neji-n-nii-san?" I could hear the surprise in her tone.

"Yeah, but I don't win or anything."

"Oh," Hinata said softly.

"Neji is just too strong," I admitted.

"Y-you must be t-too, Tenten-san; to b-be able to s-spar with N-Neji-nii-san. I-I couldn't keep up with him at a-all," Hinata's voice sounded sad when she added the last part.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan." I angled my head to look at the girl behind me. "I'm sure that you're as strong as Neji is."

"Ehh?" Hinata gasped. "I'm r-really not-"

"You're from one of Konoha's strongest clans _and_ you have a powerful kekkei genkai. You just need a little more confidence in yourself. But not too much of course, you don't want to become as pompous as Neji."

Hinata giggled slightly at my last remark. I got off the bench and tried moving.

"H-how is it?" Hinata asked.

"Much better. Thanks a lot, Hinata-chan," I smiled. Hinata's cheeks reddened and she tightened the lid of the jar.

"We'd better get some sleep. Tommorrow's the last day of the second exam; who knows what might happen."

Hinata nodded and both of us went back to the hall.

"Thanks again for helping me with my back."

"N-no p-problem," Hinata stammered. I couldn't see clearly in the semi-darkness, but I knew that she was blushing. "Oyasumi nasai, Tenten-san," Hinata whispered before rejoining her team.

"Good night," I said, and then I did the same.

* * *

All the teams that passed, the examiners, the Jounin-sensei and even Hokage-sama were assembled in the main hall. I was pleasantly surprised to see that all of the rookie teams had made it past the second round. Maybe they were better than I thought. 

"We will now have an explanation of the Third Exam from Hokaga-sama," Anko announced. "Everyone listen well."

Hokage-sama stepped forward and began his speech. "The third exam will begin. But before the explanation, there's one thing I want to make clear to all of you," he said. "It's about the true purpose of this exam; why we do a joint exam with our allied nations." Hokage-sama lowered the brim of his hat slightly.

"To maintain good relations with the allied nations and heighten the level of our ninja. Do not let those reasons deceive you. This exam, so to speak, is..."

So to speak...?

Hokage-sama took a puff of his pipe before continuing. "The epitome of a war between the allied nations."

"What do you mean?" I blurted out.

"If we go back through history, the allied nations right now were neighbouring countries that have fought one another over and over. To avoid wasting military power, those countries decided to choose a place to fight. That is the beginning of the Chuunin Selection Exams."

"Why do we have to do that?!" Naruto asked loudly. "We're not doing this to select Chuunins?"

"It is true that this exam is a test to find those who are worthy of the Chuunin title. But, on the other hand, it's also a place where ninja fight and carry their country's dignity."

"Country's dignity?" I heard the girl behind me murmur.

"In this third exam, feudal lords and famous people from various countries who may be potential clients are invited here as guests. And feudal lords from countries with hidden villages and ninja leaders will see your abilities. If there is a significant difference in power, the strong country will be flooded with jobs. If a country is seen as weak, their economy will decline. At the same time, countries are able to show how their growth and military power to adjacent countries. In other words, they can put foreign pressure on them."

It's amazing how something as simple as an exam can be turned into something so complicated and ridden with all kinds of hidden agendas.

"So why do we have to fight with our lives on the line?" Kiba questioned.

"A country's power is the village's power and a village's power is the ninja's power. A shinobi's true power is only born in life-or-death battle. This exam is a place to show off the power of one's country. Since this is an exam where you fight with your life on the line, it has a meaning. Your predecessors have fought and dreamed of being in the Chuunin exam because of it."

"Then why do you say it's to promote good relations?"

"That's why I told you at the beginning not to get it confused with that. The custom of risking one's life and fighting to maintain balance... That is the good relation in the world of ninja; a life-or-death battle for your dream and village's dignity."

Hokage-sama paused and there was a long silence.

"I understand now," Naruto said smugly.

"I don't care. Tell us the details of this life-or-death exam," the red-headed boy said quietly, yet the sinister undertone in his voice could be heard by everyone in the room.

Hokage-sama nodded. "The explanation of the third exam will now begin." He cleared his throat loudly and a ninja appeared in front of him, kneeling down on one knee was a respectful gesture.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama. I, Gekkou Hayate, the judge, will explain."

"Please do," Hokage sama replied and Hayate stood up.

"Everyone, it's nice to meet you." He turned to face us and everyone got a clear view of the bags under his eyes. "Before the third exam, there's something I want you to do." He coughed several times into his hand. "You need to fight in some preliminary matches to see who gets to advance to the main battle."

"Preliminary matches?"

"Preminaries? What do you mean?!" the pineapple headed boy shouted.

"Sensei, I don't understand what you mean by preliminary matches. Why can't we just start the third exams with the remaining examinees?"

"In this case, the first and second exams must have been too easy. I'm not sure, but there are simply too many examinees left. According to regulation, we must decrease the number of participants for the finals."

"Oh no!" Sakura gasped.

"As previously mentioned by Hokage-sama, there are too many guests for the Third exam and we cannot have too many matches since we're on limited time. So those who aren't feeling well-" He gave into another coughing fit and I couldn't help but wonder whether he was talking to us or himself.

"Excuse me. If anyone wants to quit after hearing the explanation, please let me know. The preliminary matches will begin immediately."

"Immediately?!"

"But we just got through the Second Exam..." the blonde girl, Ino, complained.

"I forgot to mention this, but you will have one-on-one matches from here on out. So please withdraw if you wish."

On my left, Sasuke suddenly started clutching his shoulder, his teammates looking at him worriedly.

"Sasuke-kun, maybe you should withdraw from the preliminary matches," Sakura suggested. "You've been acting weird ever since you fought that Orochimaru guy." When Sasuke didn't reply, Sakura whispered frantically, "That bruise hurts now, right? At this rate..." She brushed away the tears that were forming in her bottle-green eyes. "Please... please stop... I'm scared." She tried to reason with him when her pleas were not working, "You're not in any condition to fight, Sasuke-kun."

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped.

"I know that but-"

"Be quiet,"

"But you've been bearing the pain all this time!" Sakura's voice was getting louder and more hysterical.

"Just be quiet." Sasuke's hard tone softened when he saw her tears.

"Whatever you say, I'm going to tell the teachers about that bruise. Then-"

Someone in front raised a hand.

"What is it?" Hokage-sama asked.

"I'll quit."

In between coughs, the examiner flipped through his clipboard. "You are Konoha's Yakushi Kabuto-kun? You may leave, then."

As he was doing so, Naruto suddenly shouted out. "Kabuto-san, why are you quitting?!"

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but I'm completely worn out. Since the first exam when I fought with the sound-nins, I couldn't hear anything in my left ear. I can't fight right away, especially if it's a life or death battle."

He left after that.

"May I assume that there are no more people who wish to retire?" Hayate asked. Sakura started to raise her hand, but Sasuke caught her wrist and stopped her.

"Be quiet about this bruise."

Sakura looked like she was going to cry, but she shook her head and retorted. "Why are you acting so tough? I don't want to see you suffering anymore. I..."

"It doesn't have anything to do with you. You're just being nosy." Sasuke let go of Sakura's hand. "I've told you before; I'm an avenger. This is just an exam to me. I don't care about being a Chuunin either. Am I strong? I want to find the answer to that question so I'm going to fight the ones who are strong, and those people are here. I won't let anyone interfere, not even you."

"Sasuke-kun..."

"Stop acting so cool, you idiot! Can't you see Sakura-chan is worried-"

"Naruto," Sasuke turned around to look at the boy in front of him. "I want to fight with you."

* * *

"Then, let's begin the preliminary matches. It will be a one-on-one match. In other words, it will be like a real combat. The winners will be able to advance to the finals. There are no rules; you will fight until the other person dies, is knocked out or admits defeat. If you do not want to die, please give up immediately. However, if I judge that the match is over, I will stop you to prevent any unnecessary deaths. The thing that will determine your fate..." 

One of the panels behind the large stone statue opened, revealing a big screen.

"Is this. This electronic bulletin board will randomly display the names of two fighters for each match. Without further ado, it will now display the names for the first match." Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen. It glowed a bright yellow and began rapidly flashing different names.

There was a loud beep and the first two names were shown. The two chosen shinobi walked out to the front.

"The first match is between Akadou Yoroi and Uchiha Sasuke. Are there any objections?"

"No," both of them said at the same time.

"Then we will now begin. Everyone other than the two fighters, please move up there," he instructed, gesturing at a pair of raised platforms on both sides of the hall. All of the Konoha genin trooped towards the right, while the Sand and Sound nins headed for the left.

"Begin."

"Let's go!" Yoroi crouched down and formed a handseal.

"Aa," Sasuke replied, not getting into any stance. One of Yoroi's hands reached into his pouch while Sasuke drew a kunai.

Yoroi made the first move by throwing three shuriken that were blocked by Sasuke's kunai and they flew back at Yoroi. Sasuke suddenly collapsed and landed face-first onto the stone floor. When he looked up, Yoroi was already in front of him, his fist raised.

The punch shattered a small part of the floor, but Sasuke managed to dodge by rolling to the side. He stabbed the kunai into the floor and used it as leverage to grab his opponent's arm with his legs. The next thing I knew, Yoroi was on the ground, immobilized by Sasuke.

"He did it!" Naruto shouted triumphantly, but something told me that this fight was far from over.

If he was stronger than the sound-nin that even Lee couldn't beat after using Primary Lotus, surely he could defeat this guy easily. Especially with his bloodline limit. So why wasn't Sasuke using any ninjutsu?

The hand that was on Sasuke's chest glowed for a minute. When it was back to normal, Yoroi lifted his hand out of Sasuke's grasp easily and slammed it onto him. He crawled out from under Sasuke's legs and flipped out of range. The only thing Sasuke did was lie there, quivering.

Sasuke managed to get up only to be slammed back down by a glowing hand. Pinned down by the other nin's hand, he was completely open to attack.

Even though his hand was glowing, Yoroi didn't seem to be doing anything else, yet he refused to relinquish his grip on Sasuke's head.

"You... my chakra..." Sasuke tried to push him away, but he was unsuccessful and both of his hands fell onto the floor beside him.

"Have you noticed?" The chakra surrounding Yoroi's hand was getting brighter and more intense and Sasuke cried out.

Yoroi could steal chakra? Even if he could, that still doesn't account for why Sasuke wasn't using any ninjutsu. After all, he hasn't been in direct contact with him long enough to steal all his chakra. Could it have something to do with what happened in the forest? What was that bruise they were talking about earlier?

"Get off!" Sasuke kicked Yoroi away from him and the latter landed on his back. Yoroi got right back on his feet while Sasuke was still struggling to do the same.

Activating his technique, Yoroi charged at Sasuke who stood up just in time to evade the blow. Yoroi swiped at a few times Sasuke with his luminous hand, but Sasuke managed to dodge them all.

However, even though Sasuke ducked, the last strike must have connected. When he got up, his legs were shaky and he was forced to stumble forwards.

"What's wrong? Are you done already?"

Sasuke spun on his heel and delivered a kick, but Yoroi jumped back and dodged it.

"Sasuke!!!" Naruto hollered. "You call yourself Uchiha Sasuke with THAT?!" Sasuke turned around to look at his teammate. "Stop acting like an idoit! Get serious already!"

"You don't have time to look the other way!" Hand glowing, Yoroi ran straight at Sasuke. "This is it!" Yoroi started to thrust his hand at Sasuke continuously. Luckily, Sasuke was able to avoid every single hit.

Then Sasuke disappeared.

Lee gasped when Sasuke reappeared underneath the other nin and kicked him upwards, sending him flying towards the ceiling.

"That's my-" Lee gasped. I was equally stunned. When had Sasuke seen Lee's taijutsu?

Sasuke used Lee's Shadow of the Dancing Leaf and pressed a pressure point that, according to my studies, could temporarily immobilized an opponent. "From here on out, it's all original."

Suddenly, Sasuke let out a strangled cry as though he was in pain and strange red markings appeared on his neck and face.

Then, the markings disappeared and Sasuke flipped Yoroi around with his hand and aimed a kick for his side at the same time. Yoroi blocked the blow with his arm, but did not see the next one coming. After he feinted a kick, Sasuke's fist connected with Yoroi's face, sending him hurtling towards the ground.

"I'm not done!" Just before his opponent hit the ground, Sasuke delivered the finishing blow, a kick so powerful that it made the stone floor crack. When Yoroi gasped, he coughed out a mouthful of blood.

"Shishi Rendan!"

Sasuke skidded to a stop several feet away from Yoroi's spread-eagled form. Panting heavily, he tried to stand up again, but the examiner stopped the match.

"The winner of the first match is Uchiha Sasuke. This means he passes the preliminary round."

"Yes!" Naruto cheered happily.

* * *

"Now we will begin the next match," Hayate said after Sasuke and Yoroi had both been taken away for treatment. 

Once again, the screen started flashing random names before finally displaying 'Zaku Abumi' and 'Aburame Shino'. Both Shino and the sound-ninja that Sasuke had defeated stepped forward.

"We will now begin the second match." The examiner looked at both of them to see whether they had any objections and he took several steps back. "Begin."

"If you fight me here, you will never be able to fight again," Shino said simply. "Surrender."

"Heh. This arm moves, somehow." Zaku took his left arm out of the sling and crouched down. "One arm is more than enough for you!" Zaku charged forward and tried to punch Shino, but Shino blocked.

"You won't be able to beat me with one arm."

"Shut up!" Zaku activated his air current technique. "Take this! Air cutter!"

Through the resulting clouds of dust, I couldn't see what happened, but after a direct hit like that, Shino was done for.

"Come on, stand up," Zaku taunted. "What...?" The dust began to clear, revealing an uninjured Shino. Then I realized that the floor behind the sound-nin was completely black and the dark mass seemed to be...moving?

"These are called Kikai bugs. They attack their prey and swarms and consume its chakra." The little bugs were quickly speeding towards their target. I couldn't help but cringe at the mere sight of them. "If I attack you with this many, you will never be able to fight again."

Zaku was looking back and forth between Shino and his bugs, trying to decide his best course of action, but it was no use. He was trapped.

"If you don't want that, give up. If you use that move with your left hand, I will make the bugs attack you from behind. If you attack the bugs, I will attack you. Either way, you have no way out." Shino formed a hand seal. "You're supposed to keep your trump card until the end."

Zaku did not make a single sound for a long time.

All of a sudden, he raised his left arm and pointed it at Shino. "Don't underestimate me!" He ripped his right arm out of the sling and held it up in the opposite direction, turning the tables on Shino. Maybe this sound-nin was smarter than I gave him credit for.

"You're supposed to keep your trump card until the end, right?"

Then the bandages around both his arms were blown apart and Zaku screamed, face contorted with pain as he collapsed to the floor.

Hayate went forward to examine him. "It looks like this match is over. Winner, Aburame Shino."

"What is he, Neji?" Lee asked.

Neji moved to the side to get a better view and made several hand seals. He used his byakugan to look at Shino and was shocked by what he saw. "What a guy. I would understand if he summoned those bugs with a technique, but the bugs live inside him."

"What?!" Lee gasped.

"He must be part of the clan in Konoha that controls bugs," Gai-sensei said.

"I've heard of it before. A clan that lends their body as a nest for special bugs at birth in exchange for using them to fight. They control the bugs with their minds and give their own chakra as food for the bugs."

"So he is the successor to that clan," Lee commented.

I felt the hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I shuddered. I just knew that there was something creepy about that guy.

* * *

The next match was between one of the sand-nin, Kankurou, and a leaf-nin, Minami Tsurugi. 

"Unlike Yoroi, I won't go easy on you just because you're a kid. Let me warn you, once my technique gets hold of you, you won't be able to escape. I'll finish this quickly," Minami Tsurugi said.

"Then..." Kankurou took off the large, bandage wrapped obejct he was holding and held it upright on the floor next to him. "I'll finish this match quickly as well."

"Now, begin the third match."

"I won't let you do anything." Tsurugi went for Kankurou and made to hit him. "Victory goes to the swiftest!" Kankurou blocked the other man's arm with his own, but Tsurugi's arms and legs suddenly wound themselves around Kankurou's limbs, constricting them like a snake would. Kankurou dropped the thing he was holding and it fell with a clatter.

"That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed. "What's with his body?"

"I can take my joints off their hinges and use my chakra to control my loosened body," Tsurugi paused to let his words sink in. "That's why I can strangle you until your bones break. Unless you surrender, I will continue strangling you. I don't know what kind of tool you use, but there's no point if I immobilize your body like this. I can break you neck so hurry and give up."

"No," Kankurou said, seemingly unfazed by his current situation.

"Do you want to die?"

"Moron. You're the one who's going to die," Kankurou retorted.

There was a sickening crunch and Kankurou's head lolled to the front.

"His neck is broken," Lee said slowly, as if he could believe it.

"Idiot. I got carried away and broke it."

Kankurou's limbs went limp and there were tiny cracking sounds. Suddenly, his head turned a full one hundred eighty degrees to face Tsurugi. "Now it's my turn."

Four wooden arms ripped through "Kankurou's" clothing and wrapped themselves tightly around Tsurugi. It was wearing a ragged cloak and had messy mop of dark brown hair on the top of what I presumed to be its head.

"A puppet!" Tsurugi choked out, struggling to get free.

A hand reached out of the cocoon of bandages and pulled on one of the thin pieces of cloth, causing them to unravel. The real Kankurou was crouched down on the floor, one hand holding the bandages, the other glowing blue with chakra strings attached, linking him to his puppet.

The puppet tightened its hold on Tsurugi who gasped, "I gi-". The rest of his sentence was lost when he screamed.

"You will become softer if I break your bones."

Tsurugi's scream petered out and he crumpled to the ground with the puppet on top of him.

"Since his opponent is unable to fight, the winner is Kankurou."

* * *

"We will now begin the fourth match." declared Hayate. The screen showed two names: 'Haruno Sakura' and 'Yamanaka Ino'. The two kunoichi walked down to the arena. 

"I didn't think that I would be fighting you, Sakura. Especially this early on," Ino commented. Sakura did not say anything.

By now, it was pretty obvious that the two of them were had some kind of history with each other. After all, that girl Ino's team had stopped to help Sakura's even though they technically weren't supposed to.

"Sakura-chan! Do your best! Don't lose!!!"

"Begin."

Both of them started exchanging blows, using only taijutsu and the occasional weapon. Compared to the last few matches, I'd have to say that their fight was more low key and to put it simply, boring.

"They're female ninja, after all. They physical combat skills are lower than other ninja," Neji stated. My eyes narrowed when I heard what he said. He had better not have been trying to imply something about me or he was going to get it later.

"It's not because they're female," I said annoyedly, glaring at Neji. "Those two are just soft against each other. Gender doesn't matter in battle." The corners of Neji's mouth curled upwards slightly into a smirk.

I turned my attention back to the fight and saw that both of them were in their respective stances, waiting for the other to make the next move. The two of them began fighting again and Ino managed to punch Sakura in the stomach. She took advantage of the opening and looked like she was about to punch her again.

Ino's palm hit Sakura's cheek. The sound of the slap echoed throughout the entire room.

Both of them stopped moving, merely standing there facing each other. Ino stared at her hand. They were quiet for a long while and then Sakura said.

"Now that it's come to this, I have no intention of fighting over Sasuke-kun with you."

"What?"

"You and Sasuke-kun just don't match. And I'm stronger than you now. You're not even my rival," Sakura scoffed.

"Sakura! Do you know who you're talking to?! You crybaby, Sakura!" Ino shouted back.

With a smile, Sakura untied her forehead protector.

"I understand, Sakura," Ino said softly, taking her forehead protector off her waist. Both of them tied them over their foreheads. When they were finished, both of them charged at each other and both their fists connected with the other's.

They jumped back and got into a fighting stance, then they rushed forward at the same time.

Sakura started making hand seals for the bunshin jutsu.

"This isn't the ninja academy test, you know!" Ino shouted. "Do you think you can defeat me with such a basic technique?"

Three Sakuras were headed straight for Ino. She was much faster than she had been before and even with my sharp eyesight, I couldn't tell which one was the real Sakura. The Sakuras on the left and right lunged at Ino before disappearing in a puff of smoke. The one in the middle punched Ino and she flew back several meters.

"If you still take me as the crybaby Sakura, you're going to get hurt. Fight me seriously, Ino!"

"I'm glad to hear that." Ino got back onto her feet, wiping the dirt from her face. "I'll go at you with everything I have."

Finally, they were going to go all out on each other.

* * *

The fight between the two of them lasted a long time. Both of them were equally strong and so far they had matched each other blow for blow. 

Both of them had stopped fighting for a while to catch their breath.

"There's no way you're as strong as me!" Ino shouted indignantly.

"There's no way a vain person like you, who spends so much time on her hair and appearance, is my equal," Sakura shot back.

"Stop underestimating me!" Ino drew a kunai from her holster and sliced off majority of her long hair.

"You're pretty simpleminded." Sakura sounded shocked, yet somewhat amused.

"See that!" Ino shouted. "Damn this!" She flung her hair onto the floor.

That Ino girl has completely lost it.

"I'm going to end this now by making you say 'I give up'!" Ino formed a bunch of handseals.

"I understand that you're in a hurry, but that's useless."

"We'll see about that."

"Ninpo Shintenshin no jutsu. The user releases her mind energy and hits the enemy with it to take over the opponent's mind for a few minute as well as take control over the opponent's body. But that technique has a weakness. First, the mind energy that the user releases can only move in a straight line and it moves slowly. Second, if the mind energy that the user releases misses the opponent, it won't return to the user for a few minutes. In addition, during that time the user's body will not be able to move at all," Sakura said.

"So what?! You won't know until I try!" Ino retorted.

"It's the end if you miss, do you understand?" Sakura asked, getting ready to move and dodge the technique; then she started running.

"Idiot! Stop!" Ino's teammate shouted, but she ignored him.

"Mind Transfer Technique!"

Both Sakura and Ino froze. Then Ino slumped forward and landed on her knees. Neither of them moved nor spoke.

Sakura started to laugh. "Nice try, Ino. It's over now."

Sakura tried to move towards Ino, but something stopped her. A long thin blue strand was wrapped around both her legs, preventing her from moving.

"This is-"

"You've fallen into my trap, Sakura," Ino smirked. "I've finally caught you."

"Did you-"

"It's just like you guessed. I was just pretending when I formed those seals just now so that I could lure you into this trap," Ino explained. "You can't move at all, can you? It's a special rope made by running chakra through my hair. Now the match will be over if I enter your body and make you say that you give up." Ino made the handseal for her technique. "I definitely won't miss."

Maybe some of these rookies are better than I thought.

"Run, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled. Sakura tried to break free, but it was in vain.

"Mind Transfer Technique!"

Ino's arms went limp while Sakura stood up straight.

Sakura laughed again, breaking the tense silence. "Nice try..." Sakura raised her head to look at Ino.

"Sakura."

Sakura raised her hand and started to speak. "I, Haruno Sakura, will fore-"

"NO!!!" Naruto screamed. "Sakura-chan! You've come a long way to get here! It's going to be a disgrace if you lose to that Sasuke-obsessed freak!"

"It's useless telling that to me right now-" Sakura stopped talking and started gripping her head, fisting her hair in her hands. "Wh-what is this?" she stuttered uncertainly. "Sakura? This can't be..."

"What's wrong?" asked the examiner. "Aren't you going to give up?"

"There's no way I'm going to give up!" Sakura screamed and then she clutched at her head again. She formed a hand seal and cancelled the technique.

Sakura fell to her knees and Ino regained consciousness.

Breathing hard, Ino asked. "You have two minds...? What are you?"

"I have strength to match my beauty," Sakura replied.

Both of them were equally exhausted, so the next attack would be their last. Both of them charged at each other and both their fists hit the other's cheek. The force of their punches were surprisingly great; they drew blood and sent both them flying backwards. Their forehead protectors that had been knocked off hit the floor. Sakura and Ino landed hard beside them a second later.

The two kunoichi tried to get up, but they collapsed at the same time.

"Both are unable to fight. Due to a double KO, no one passes the fourth preliminary match," Hayate concluded.

Sakura and Ino were taken back to the viewers gallery by their Jounin sensei's and after the arena had been cleaned up, the pitch black screen lit up and started to select the fighters.

There was a loud beep and everyone looked up.

When I saw the names for the next match, I smirked.

"Fifth match, Tenten and Temari. Step forward."

* * *

Author's Note: 

Well, that was long. My fingers really hurt after typing out all the fight scenes, but they were necessary for the 'Naruto' plot.

I hope you liked the part with Hinata, Kiba and Shino. I bet some of you are wondering why they didn't provide beds and stuff. I figured it wouldn't be really fair to the people who are still taking the exam, even if the people in the tower did finish first...

Many thanks to my beta reader, Midnight Memories, for taking time off her busy schedule and her own fanfics to help me check through this chapter; and my sis for listening to me ramble on and on about the the plot and for spotting the mistakes that I didn't the first time I checked it. Arigato Gozaimasu! XD


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